


New Beginnings

by Empress37



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: A little bit of smut now, Action, Angst, BFFs, Bisexual Shepard, Character Development, Character relationship focus, F/F, F/M, Follows ME 2 and 3, Kinda slow burn..., Mild Angst, Original Character(s), Romance, Shepard and Garrus are the best of bros, like a medium burn, semi-cannon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 05:10:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 125,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14888240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Empress37/pseuds/Empress37
Summary: An accident sends the lord of the Sith into the Mass Effect galaxy. She is discovered by the newly revived Commander Shepard. How will she affect Shepard? Her allies? And the Milky Way?





	1. How it Begins

**Author's Note:**

> So I stared posting this a while back on Fanfiction. But I wanted to post here as well, love the community and the tagging system is vastly superior. Even if some people go a bit crazy with it, ha ha.  
> Hope you all enjoy!

The hallways of the ship were empty; the only noise on the entire ship was the faint beeping of a console as its user typed away commands with an armored hand. They were completely covered by a black robe and black and red armor. A black and red mask hid their face, and a hood further obscured any hope of gleaning details beyond the robes and armor.

Revan's brows were furrowed in concentration as she worked on the console. The work itself was not difficult but she still focused all her attention on it; she never did anything half-assed. A small indicator on her HUD informed her that the ship had been completely evacuated. Once she finished up here she would also evacuate and the test could begin.

For weeks she had pored over the Star Forges' energies into creating a new and more powerful hyperdrive engine, and now it was finally completed. However, it was still untested technology. So she had it installed on an Interdictor class cruiser which had been specially made by the Star Forge. The ship had no weapons, no security systems, just the bare minimum for life support, gravity and enough systems to remotely start the hyperdrive engine. By building a ship like this the Star Forge had finished it in a matter of hours.

Revan was eager to test this new engine. If it worked it would be fifteen times faster than anything ever seen before. She could jump an entire fleet right into orbit above Coruscant. The Republic would be caught completely by surprise; they could seize the planet within a matter of hours and finally end this war. Then Revan could begin her true task. She would build the republic into a force capable of defending itself from the true enemy.  
A slight frown tugged on her lips, her hand slowing for half a second before resuming its normal speed. She felt the familiar worry, constantly at the back of her mind, begin to creep forward. There was still so much left to do, so much work would need to be done after she took over the Republic. Would they be ready in time?

The Republic was already close to falling. She was more worried about how things would go after she took over. The Jedi and their corrupt puppets ruling the senate had painted her as a murderer, as a butcher—how much would the people resist?  
It would be much easier once she had eradicated the Jedi Order. They were one of the biggest things that were wrong with the Republic. It was the Jedi who made her out to be evil, who called her a traitor. She would replace their idiotic, archaic order with her own, a new order that would serve the Republic. They would strengthen the Galaxy, uniting all under one rule.

The doubt began to fade away again and a smile spread across Revan’s lips, she could see it now. No more senseless wars. The true threat of the Sith would finally be eradicated and the galaxy could finally have order. She had imagined it so many times, and like always it bolstered her resolve, it made her feel like she could actually see this through.

With three final taps Revan smiled behind her mask, everything was set. "Captain Aulron, come in," she said through helmet com.

"Receiving you my lord," came the soldier's gruff reply. He was a good man. He had fought with Revan for years.

"Everything’s set. I’m heading to the shuttle."

"Acknowledge, all ships are clear." Just as the man finished speaking Revan heard alarms begin blaring in the background.

"We have incoming ships!" shouted a soldier.

"Report captain," said Revan, her voice perfectly calm. This location was very out of the way, and there should be not shuttle traffic, which left only one option.

"Republic cruisers inbound my lord! Fifteen capital ships." The captain sounded alarmed, but not out of control. 

How had the Republic found this location? Clearly it was no accident, they either knew Revan was here and they intended to capture or kill he, or they knew about the prototype and wanted it for themselves. Both led to the same conclusion— they had a traitor. It was the only possible solution. Revan turned to face the large view screen ahead of her. The republic ship had begun encircling them, firing on her two escort ships; this battle would be over in mere moments. Revan's tactical mind immediately sprang into action, forming the only plan possible. 

"Captain initiate retreat. We will Rendezvous at Taris."

"Punching in coordinates now my lord, we will hold until you are safely aboard." Despite the man's calm voice Revan could both see and hear the dire situation they were in.

The republic ships pored green laser fire onto the two Sith ships. She could see the shields begin to fail and explosions strike along the hull. To their credit the two Sith ships returned incredibly accurate fire and she saw multiple Republic turbo laser batteries explode. But it was too much, the ships would not last. Revan could hear the damage reports coming in over the com. 

"No time captain, initiate jump now."

"But my lord-"

"Go now." Revan’s voice did not raise, but it gained the iron edge that ensured there would be no argument. The captain was a good man. She would see their lives thrown away for no good reason. 

"I wanted to test this new engine, looks like I will get my chance," Revan added, grinning behind her mask as she felt her pulse begin to quicken slightly. This would certainly be an interesting experience. "Jump now captain!"

"We shall await your arrival my lord."

Revan smiled slightly. "I shall be along shortly." There was a few seconds of silence, then the two Sith ships launched into hyperspace. 

Revan quickly keyed in the coordinates to Taris, It would take one minute to calculate the jump. Looking back at the view screen she watched as the republic ships closed around her own anddozens of smaller shuttles began streaking towards her.  
A small frown appeared on Revan’s lips now. She knew this was untested technology and any one of a thousand different things could go wrong. 

With a few rapid blinks Revan had opened her communications. "Execute order forty-five" She said solemnly. If the worst happened…well her work was still unfinished but at least the Republic would stand a better chance.  
The console beeped and Revan looked down— jump was ready. She looked back up, the boarding craft were almost on her. 

"Well," she said with a grin, "let's see what this thing can do." No matter what happened, her vision would be fulfilled.   
________________________________________  
It just wasn't armor! That was the only thing Jane Shepard could think as she glanced at her…companion. Shit she didn't know what Miranda was. Right now, she was a woman in an incredibly tight cat suit that had brought her back to life. So she did owe the woman at least a little bit of gratitude, even if she was as cold as ice. 

"Miranda, while I’m meeting with Anderson I want you to go and buy some actual armor." Shepard glanced over at the woman. Sure, the view was nice, but she would rather the woman wore something practical, at least while on a mission.  
"I don't-" 

She quickly cut the accented woman off. "Look I know you’re a capable fighter, not doubting that. But we’re gonna to get into some heavy shit. I’ll feel a lot better knowing that the first bullet that gets through your barriers isn't going to kill you." She watched the woman's face remain completely calm.

"Of course Shepard."

"Jacob you go with her. No offense but I don't want my first meeting with the council to be with two Cerberus agents in tow." She felt no need to lie to them, hell it was part of who she was. Shepard had always been blunt and to the point, she spoke her mind and didn't give a damn what people thought.

"None taken Shepard," replied the dark skinned man with a faint smile; he seemed like a good sort. 

From what she had gathered he wasn't too fond of Cerberus. Yes he did serve them but it was only because he felt he could better protect the Alliance that way. Hell that was the only reason she was working for them. She had made it clear from the first moment she stepped onto the new Normandy, this was her operation, and she was not under Cerberus command. In fact, she had quickly set about removing all Cerberus logos from the ship, inside and out, both for her own personal reasons and for logical ones. What kind of moron ran around in a ship covered in giant ass logos of a terrorist organization?

The shuttle came to a halt and Shepard quickly jumped out. "When you have armor, pick up whatever other supplies we need and meet back at the ship." Her two companions nodded and the shuttle took off again.   
Shepard walked across the Presidium. The place showed absolutely no sign of Saren's attack two years ago. Shit she still couldn't get over that, she had been gone for two whole years! No one knew she was alive, well except from rumors that had apparently made it to the council's ears. Rumors planted by the Illusive Man know doubt. Since she had found out about how long her absence had been she couldn't stop thinking about her friends. No matter what the Illusive Man said, she was going to try and contact them; she couldn't just take his word that they wouldn't help.

Seeing Tali had helped to lift her spirits. The young Quarian was a ball of cheer and energy, although she had matured a lot. She wished Tali would have joined her back on the colony but she understood her reasoning; apparently there was some bad blood between the Quarians and Cerberus. Her mind wandered to Liara next— she couldn’t believe that the Asari was working for the Shadow Broker. Moreover she refused to accept Liara couldn’t be trusted. They had been close during the hunt for Saren and Shepard trusted the Asari with her life. She had sent her a message at her old address, hoping it was still active. 

Shepard's eyes looked over to the giant Krogan statue standing in the water and her mind instantly turned to Wrex. She grinned, his voice instantly filling her mind with his patented greeting. "Shepard," she almost laughed to herself. God she really missed the Krogan, a sentiment she was sure few humans would ever agree to. He was the only one who Shepard would not ask for help from, but not because she didn't want it, nothing could be further from the truth. The Krogan's presence at her side was something she missed greatly, as were his gruff comments. With Wrex at her side the Collectors wouldn't stand a chance. Next to Garrus he had probably seen the most action with her on their hunt for Saren.

Garrus…his face instantly filled her mind, every single detail was perfectly clear, his voice filled her ears. He was without a doubt the best friend she had ever had. The two of them could practically talk about anything. They could help each other with anything, he had come to her for help on more than once occasion and she was more than happy to do whatever he needed. Whether he simply wanted to vent his frustrations at the council and C-Sec or if he wanted help hunting down an evil bastard of a doctor. He was the one she was most anxious to contact, and the most scarred to contact. Would he be happy to see her? Would he be pissed? Her mind swirled with too many possibilities. She had yet to contact him because she didn't know what to say. Maybe after Omega…yes after Omega, when she could think on it more.

Shepard now stood before the office door of the human council member. While she was happy to see Anderson again, this also meant she would have to talk to the council again. Suppressing a groan Shepard walked through the doors.  
Anderson immediately stopped talking as she entered and turned to face her. 

"Ah, commander we were just talking about you." 

Shepard couldn't help but smile as she walked across the room and quickly gripped the man's hand, pulling him into a hug. She didn't give a shit that the council was watching, she didn't give a shit about protocol. This man had been her mentor for many years. There was no one she trusted or respected more. 

"It's good to see you Anderson," she said warmly. To her delight he returned her embrace. Hugs from Anderson were rare, and she cherished each one. 

After a moment they stepped back and she finally turned to look at the holographic displays of the council. "Councillors," she said firmly, all the warmth and joy in voice gone. Despite having saved them she was sure they were still going to be the typical arrogant bastards that they always were, especially the Turian prick.

"Commander, it is good to see you well," said the Asari

"Like wise Councillor," she nodded. God she just wanted to get this over with so she could talk with Anderson. She knew she couldn't stay long, which is why she wanted to get this shit out of the way.

"We were just discussing the circumstances of your return,." said the Salarian councillor.

"Let me clear it up for you," she said flatly, taking a step forward to ensure she had their full attention. "Cerberus found my body- I won't bother asking why the body of a spectre wasn't bothered to be recovered by the council or even the Alliance."   
She was still a bit pissed about that, but she supposed it all worked out for the best. Bastard councillors probably didn't even look for her, not after the shit-storm she had raised about the Reapers. "Anyway they found my body and brought me back to life for the purpose of looking into the disappearance of human colonies. We now know that they are being abducted by the Collectors, who I suspect are working for the Reapers."

"Ah yes Reapers," said the Turian councillor in an exhausted tone, making quotes with two of his three fingers. Here we go, prick. Shepard didn't even listen as the councillor spoke, she merely waited for his mouth to stop moving.

"Look I know you all want to live in the dark and pretend like everything is all roses but sooner or later that is going to bite you in the ass, again. Saren and the Geth ring a bell?” She really didn’t think there were more incompetent people in the entire galaxy than these three fuckwits. 

"The Reapers are clearly a myth Commander, one used by Saren to control the Geth. We believe that you believe they are real," replied the Salarain councillor, her voice that same, annoying calm it always was. 

"For fucks sake!" Shepard growled, her patience at an end. "I sacrificed human lives to save this sorry ass council!” Shepard reined in her temper for a moment, barely. “Okay forget about the Reapers for a second. Entire human colonies are being abducted! And you are going to do nothing?”

"You put us in a difficult position commander; you are working for Cerberus, an enemy of the council. This is a capital offence." Shepard was about to dare that Asari to act on her threat but Anderson cut in.

"That’s far enough! Shepard is a damn hero! I am on this council too and I will not let this continue." Shepard tried to hold back her smile, she could always count on Anderson, he would never let her down.

"Perhaps we can come to some sort of compromise," the Asari offered. "Commander, we will restore your status as a Spectre, although given your ties we will not announce this publicly. When your…partnership with Cerberus ends we will gladly welcome you back fully and openly."   
Shepard almost wanted to tell the council to shove it, she didn't need them, but with a nod from Anderson she bit back her anger. "I would be honored Councillor." She was pretty sure she sounded genuine…almost…maybe…

"Very well commander, we hope to a swift resolution this problem." And with that the meeting was over. Shepard let out a loud sigh and Anderson just chuckled.

"Good to be back isn't it?" She looked over at the man, a grin was on his face.

"Being dead was less work," she replied with a chuckle. She followed Anderson over to the balcony, leaning on the railing she looked across the Presidium.

"It's good to have you back Shepard."

"You just want someone else to yell at the council with you," she teased. Looking over at Anderson her grin faded, god he looked so tired. There were deep circles around his eyes, lines that hadn't been there before. "How have you been Anderson?" she asked, letting her concern show.

"I…well let's just say I've seen better days." She could hear the weariness in his voice. "I don't think I’m cut out for council work," he added with a sad smile. If it had been anyone else it would have seemed like a natural continuation of the conversation, but Shepard knew he was changing the subject. "Most of the days it just feels like I am banging my head against the wall."

"I know that feeling," she said, trying to lighten his spirits. Seeing him like this tore her apart.

They spent the next fifteen minutes just chatting about what had been going on in the galaxy and by the end Anderson seemed to be a little better, his voice sounded less tired. 

"I guess I should leave you to your work," she said finally. She really didn't want to leave but knew that she had to.

"Yeah.” Anderson smiled sadly again, before it quickly fell away. 

Shepard pushed herself off the balcony and turned to face the older man. "I’ll keep in touch."

"You better. And Shepard?" His eyes looked serious but she could see they were filled with concern. "Be careful okay?"

"I will Anderson,” she replied, trying to ease his worry. She shook his hand again and grinned "What are the odds of me dying twice?" Anderson chuckled and Shepard considered her mission a success. Turning she left the room and headed back to the Normandy. It was time to get this mission underway.


	2. Discovery

Pain exploded in the back of Revan's head as she smashed against the bulkhead. Her vision was filled with spots and soon the ringing in her ears was replaced with the wail of sirens. The ship was tearing itself apart.

The jump to hyperspace had worked, at least for a moment. She had watched as the ship entered into a stream of hyperspace she had never seen before. The usual flash of whites had taken on a deep red color.

Initially things had gone well but then the hyperdrive had overloaded and exploded. Which had actually made the ship speed up even further for several seconds. It had thrown Revan back against the wall with its ferocity. She had only just recovered when more explosions abruptly threw her back into real space and she had smashed her head.

Revan staggered to the console, quickly typing away as the ship shook—explosions were tearing it apart. The diagnostics told her the engines, hyperdrive, hell the entire rear half of the ship was gone! Gripping the console tightly she looked out the view screen at the planet beyond; it looked like it was just barely in range.

Turning, Revan ran from the bridge and made her way towards the hangar—the explosions had yet to reach it. She stumbled her way through the shaking ship and finally made it to the hangar just as the first explosion hit the room.

It seemed the hyperdrive would need more work. Despite her situation, Revan was grinning as she ran into the shuttle. It had technically worked—the computer couldn't even register the speeds that the ship had been travelling at—there were just a few…kinks to work out.

Revan pulled herself into the pilot's seat and with quick practiced movements turned the craft on and powered up the engines as explosions rocked the hangar. It took thirty seconds before she could achieve lift off. Revan sped from the hangar as quickly as possible, the ship wouldn't last much longer—but it was too late.

A massive explosion destroyed the hangar,the blast launching her ship in a wild flight. Gritting her teeth, Revan fought to regain control, and she almost succeeded. A large chunk of the ship smashed into the craft and instantly more warning sirens went off. She had lost engines, the left wing was badly damaged, and the hull had almost been breached.

" _Shab_ ," she muttered, arms straining to try and control the shuttle as she plummeted towards the planet.

The craft began to shutter as she entered the atmosphere. New warning signs told her the heat of re-entry was building to dangerous levels and the damaged ship could not cope. She would either explode or the ship would smash into the planet at uncontrolled speeds and likely kill her on impact.

Revan released the controls, the fight was useless. She had never given up in her life, and she wasn't now, but trying to steer the craft now was pointless. Nothing was responding. Revan moved from the Pilots seat and into the small cargo hold.

This was her personal shuttle and was made very well; the hold had been specially reinforced to protect both her and the precious cargo she liked to travel with.

Revan strapped herself into the seat, gripping the large durasteel crate next to her. She summoned the force, allowing it to flow through her body as she used it to actually strengthen her body for a short time, hoping that it would help absorb some of the impact.

The proximity alarm began blaring wildly—impact was imminent. Revan smiled a humorless smile. If this all went wrong…well at least she could see Meetra again.

" _Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum,_ Meetra." Revan closed her eyes and smiled again, but this time it was warm. She could almost see her now. Force she was tired, so tired of it all, death really didn't seem so bad right now. Revan could use a rest.

 

* * *

 

Shepard sent five rounds from the Mattock down the range in two seconds. She couldn't help but grin at the grouping. The rifle had pretty nice power. It was a little slow firing for her taste but it would be a nice combo with her plasma shotgun. Those two weapons would also work extremely well with her biotics. She could charge into the center of enemies, blow them apart with her shotgun but still be able to deal with far off threats with the mattock.

Shepard replaced the thermal clip and headed out of the cargo bay, where she had insisted on setting up a live fire range. She wanted to be able to test her weapon mods before taking them out into the field.

She rode the elevator up into her personal cabin and put the rifle back with the rest of her gear. She had decided to give that blood dragon armor a try—it interfaced with her biotics pretty nicely, and she had a feeling that they would be needed on Omega.

The station’s reputation was well earned. Although Shepard had never actually been there herself, she had heard plenty of stories. It was well known among Alliance military, and brass warned about going there wearing anything that could give you away as a soldier.

More than one murder of an alliance soldier had occurred on the damn station. Shepard just hoped she wouldn't have to spend long on the station. If everything went to plan she would grab Solus and Archangel and then get heading towards their next recruit.

Shepard sat at her desk; she actually hadn't decided who to go after next. A Krogan warlord or a convict? Frankly no other warlord could compare with Wrex so it felt kind of pointless to her. Still, apparently this Okeer had valuable information on the collectors. That would probably be the best call. She could pick up the prisoner after.

A beeping caught her attention and she stared at her terminal. How long had that been beeping? God she really must have been out of it. She quickly tapped the icon and opened the message, a smile coming to her face.

" _Shepard you have no idea how happy I am to hear from you! My information told me that you were alive but actually hearing from you…well it's like a dream! Unfortunately I can't say much, never know who may get a hold of this. Next time you are on Illium stop by, I can always make time for an old friend"_

Shepard quickly typed her reply, promising that as soon as time permitted she would come and see the Asari. It seemed the rumours of Liara being an information broker was true, and apparently one with competition. She quickly added the line "Stay safe" to the end of her message before sending it. At least she knew Liara was doing well and was happy to see her.

Now it was only Ashley, Wrex and Garrus she had yet to contact. She hadn't contacted Ashley because…well she could only imagine how well badly the gunnery chief would react to her working with a terrorist organization. She hadn't contacted Wrex because…well she had no idea of how the hell to get a hold of him, short of actually flying to Tuchanka.

Then there was Garrus. God she still had no idea what she was going to say to him. She still couldn't help but feel like he would be upset with her. Gone for two years (even if it wasn't up to her) and now working for a pro human terrorist organization—no not working for,she was simply using their resources. Still didn't look good.

Shepard sighed. Damn her brain, why couldn't it ever let her think of the best case scenarios?

"Commander I got something you might want to check out" Shepard almost fell out of her chair at the sudden voice over the intercom. Dammit she was zoning out way too much!

"What is it Joker?" she asked the pilot, slightly thankful for him interrupting her thoughts.

"We were coming in for the final approach vector on the relay when EDI picked up a distress call from a nearby planet."

"What kind of distress call?" She was going to assist no matter what, she just wanted to know if she was going to be shooting some pirates in the face or just giving a freighter some fuel.

"Unknown," replied the synthesized voice of EDI. Shepard still wasn't sure if she could trust the AI. The odds of it being a spy for the Illusive Man were quite high. "The signature does not match any known frequencies."

"What do you mean?"

"It belongs to neither Turian, Asari, Salarian nor any other recognized council species. In fact, the transmission is unlike any before recorded in council space. Also, the signature only followed after my scanners detected a massive burst of unknown energy, which is what prompted my investigation." Well the AI certainly didn't bother to sum things up.

"Take us in Joker, let's see who needs saving."

"Maybe it's a ship full of beautiful women," muttered the pilot.

Shepard laughed as she got up and headed to her locker. "We can dream."

"Oh I will be." Shepard just shook her head as she began getting into her armor—better to be prepared for the worst.

"EDI, tell Miranda and Jacob to suit up and meet me in the bridge."

"Acknowledged Commander."

Shepard stood behind Joker as the pilot brought them in closer. She nodded to Miranda and Jacob as they came up behind her, the latter now wearing a suit of black and gold armor. That was much better than her old outfit. Maybe not as nice of a view, but it would help put her at ease.

"Getting a view now commander," Joker reported. Shepard looked out the view screen and saw the large bits of debris floating in space.

"Holy hell," muttered Jacob, Shepard simply nodded in agreement. Some of the debris floating around was massive.

"Shepard, initial scans do not match any known silhouettes. This ship is of unknown design." stated EDI

"Well looks like we might be a bit late to save any survivors," muttered Joker. The pilot was right, there could not be anyone left on the ship—it was completely destroyed. Shepard was worried at what could have destroyed a vessel of this size, and her mind instantly went to the Collectors.

The memories slammed into her like a tidal wave. She felt the heat on her face as the Normandy exploded, the Collector’s' beam tearing through its hull. She heard Joker screaming her name. She remembered being blasted into space. She could feel as she choked for air, everything was going black, her body going numb—

"Shepard?" She snapped her head towards Miranda.

"Yeah!" she said quickly, noting the concerned look in the woman's eyes, Her heart was pounding and she could feel sweat beading down her face. God it felt like she was standing on Therum again. "EDI can you scan to see if any escape pods made it to the planet below?"

"I am not registering any distress signals. However, I am picking up a faint energy trail leading from the ship down to the planet. It is similar to the energy spike I registered before picking up the signal."

"Can you follow it?"

"Affirmative, plotting a course now."

"Take us down Joker, Miranda and Jacob, you are with me in the shuttle." Shepard turned and took a shaky step forward, god her legs felt like jelly. _Shake it off dammit! You are not some scared little girl anymore!_ Summoning forth her resolve Shepard resumed her normal confident stride and headed down to the hangar.

The flight down to the planet took about fifteen minutes, which was spent mostly in silence. Joker was taking the Normandy in to try and retrieve a piece of the ship for the techs to study.

"Coming in for a landing commander, we have a visual on the wreckage," said the pilot over her com. The shuttle settled down and the hatch opened. Shepard was the first to jump out. She immediately unslung her shotgun and extended it—just because it was a crash didn't mean they were friendly. Jacob and Miranda both followed suit.

The shuttle was not like any she had ever seen before, at least what was left of it. The left wing had been torn off, and a wing on the top of the craft was half missing. The angular craft had left a massive gouge in the earth before it had finally come to a halt. Smoke came from the craft but she couldn't see any fire, and so far no signs of life.

Shepard quickly advanced on the shuttle, the front view screen was completely blacked out and there were no side doors. Moving around the back she came to the large door which was badly dented. Shepard could see no means of opening the door from the outside.

 "Jacob, think you can cut through this?"

"Sure thing, just give me a minute." The big man returned his pistol to his hip and activated his Omni-tool. Sparks flew as he worked. Miranda meanwhile was scanning the craft.

"Shepard, I’ve never seen a shuttle like this. What's more I can’t pick up any traces of Element Zero. After a crash like that there would be some kind of leak." That was extremely odd. Every ship ran on Eezo. It was impossible to make a mass jump without it, hell it was impossible to _fly_ without it.

A loud crash interrupted her thoughts, along with a surprised shout from Jacob. "Damn that came down quick. The crash must have destroyed the safety mechanism."

Shepard chuckled as she moved into the craft. "I prefer a crew member who wasn't a pancake. Nice reflexes by the way." Jacob grinned in response and followed her into the craft.

"Hello?" she called into the darkness. "Are there any survivors?" The cargo bay was small, not much room for people.

"Shepard over here," called Miranda.

She instantly turned to the raven-haired woman. She was kneeling down near a large crate. Shepard quickly moved over to her. Stepping around the crate she saw the object of interest. A body was sprawled across the floor, likely a male judging by their height and build. A quick glance at the seat showed that his restraints had snapped at the impact and he was thrown forward, probably smashing his head on the wall and crate on the way.

Shepard returned her attention to the body. They were face down and clad in what looked like a black…robe? She had no idea.

"Are they alive?" she asked, kneeling down at their head.

"I am getting faint life signs," reported the raven-haired woman.

Shepard carefully grabbed unconscious person’s shoulders, nodding to Miranda, who grabbed the legs, and they rolled the person over. Shepard immediately raised her eyebrow when she took in the sight. The…well it looked like a man, was wearing a strange robe…thing that covered most of their body. Their chest was covered by what looked like a thick black and red armored chest piece, and their hands were covered by black and red gauntlets made of…metal? Their head was also completely covered by a black and red mask that and a blackened T shaped visor. A hood covered the rest of their face

"What the hell are you wearing?" Shepard muttered, checking the body over for visible wounds. She noted two silver tubes hanging at either of the stranger's hip; both had intricate designs carved into them. She had noted a similar longer one across the back of their waist.

She could see no wounds nor could she see any weapons. "Okay let's get him back to the shuttle. I got him, Miranda, Jacob you grab that crate. I am sure our friend may want it when he wakes up." Shepard carefully slung the man over her shoulders, grunting under the effort. Damn he was heavy! And by the sound of it there was more armor under those robes.

Shepard was panting by the time she got to the shuttle and carefully secured the man into a seat. Jacob and Miranda arrived a minute later, putting the crate into the shuttle "You okay Shepard?" asked Jacob. "A little out of shape?" he added with a chuckle.

"He is damn heavy!" she defended. Jacob just grinned as he strapped himself in. She followed his actions, activating her com. "Joker we are on our way back. Tell Chakwas to prepare to receive one patient."

"Made a new friend Shepard?"

"Yeah, wearing a robe or something."

"Ah crap did we pick up a religious wacko?"

"Maybe, one who wears heavy as shit armor."

"Can't wait to meet him," groaned the pilot. Shepard just laughed as she looked back at the unconscious man. Just what had she gotten herself into now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up, I am getting all the Madalorian from mandoa.org


	3. Awakening

Pain was something Revan was well accustomed to. It was universal, it was something that all living things felt. So why the hell did she feel pain? Her head hurt like hell, and there was a sharp pain in her side every time she breathed. Revan instantly recognized it as broken ribs, possibly two. Looked like she wouldn't be getting that rest.

As her senses came back, she instantly reached out with the force to sense her surroundings. She could sense one being just a few feet away. there neither violence within her, nor any outright hostile intentions, and she seemed to be perfectly calm.

The simple fact that Revan was still able to use the force was a bit confusing. If she had been captured by the Republic then they would have immediately slapped a force suppression collar on her, or just shot her in the head.

Continuing her search, Revan stretched her senses out beyond the small room to try and learn more about the situation. She used the force to quickly map out her surroundings and locate all forms of life; it quickly became apparent she was on a ship as after a certain point she could only feel the black emptiness of space.

On the deck where she was, Revan could sense over a dozen life forms in two rooms which she surmised were the crew quarters. Most seemed to be in a state of deep sleep or almost sleep. She then searched the deck below, finding only two life signs below her. It must be relatively late at night and only the skeleton crew were still awake.

Revan took a very shallow breath and the sharp pain that coursed through her interrupted her searching. Silently cursing, Revan began channeling the majority of her powers to healing the wounds. She would need to be healed to make an escape. Feeling her wounds beginning to fade away, Revan once more reached out and continued the search.

She noted during the search that no one seemed to give off any particular aura in the force. While she could sense some lingering feelings of anger, hate, love, happiness, feelings that were to be expected in the average person, no one stood out in the force.

The force flowed through all living things, and she could sense it in the people around her but there was an odd quality to it. Almost as if it lay…dormant, untapped for lack of a better phrase. But how was that possible? The ability to access force powers came from within and it relied on the user's personal connection to the force.

But when the powers were actually made manifest it left a mark, an echo as it were. The nature of its uses affected the world around the user. Someone channeling the dark side of the force used hate, rage, violence, and other negative feelings to bolster their power, which in turn warped the nature of the force around them, reflecting that the user was doing.

While it did take a particularly large act of good or evil to permanently change the nature of the force in an area, such as the events at Malachor, even small acts of using the force would temporarily leave a ripple in the force, helping to color the nature of the area one was in. But here…it was neutral, absolute perfect neutrality; this was the force's true nature. It was as if the force had gone completely untapped.

Revan entertained the idea that perhaps there were just no force users on the ship, but she felt it deep down. There was something wrong here— no, not wrong, but different.

She repressed a sigh. Maybe she was just reading too much into things. She had been prepared for death only to wake up in foreign surroundings, and in massive pain. Centering herself, Revan took a shallow breath, feeling the effects of the force healing when her body did not seek to punish her for the act.

Revan abandoned the search of the ship. She had seen enough. While she could not sense any outward hostility from those she had sensed, neither could she feel any good intentions from them.

Her best bet was to escape now, while most of the ship was sleeping. She would steal a shuttle and make a jump to rendezvous with her forces. Revan knew that no one was going to help her. She would have to help herself.

Running a last check over her body, Revan stiffened as she felt a slight pressure on her wrists. How the hell had she not noticed those before? Cursing herself for such stupidity, Revan once more calmed herself, and opened her eyes.

Her suspicions from the faint chill were confirmed—she was unarmored. The majority of her armor and clothing was gone, leaving her in only the dark trousers from under her robes and her bra.

Slowly turning her head. she looked down at the restraints. They appeared to be a simple leather strap, so she could easily break those. Next she looked over to the room’s other occupant. It was an older female, judging from the grey hair, and she was currently seated at a desk, typing away at a … holo terminal? Revan couldn't quite tell— it didn't matter.

Taking in a breath Revan channeled the force through her body, augmenting her strength. In one swift movement she snapped the restraints and spun from the bed, landing behind the woman before she had even reacted.

Revan wrapped an arm around her neck, a hand covering her mouth to silence her surprised cry. Revan immediately pulled her down, landing roughly on her back they fell out of view of the window. Revan kept the woman held tightly on top of her.

"Don't do anything stupid and I won’t hurt you." Revan spoke quietly in the woman’s ear. She could sense her fear. "I’m gonna ask you some questions, you will answer them. Try to call for help and I’ll snap your neck before you even make a sound, clear?"

The woman nodded.

"And I’ll know if you are lying," she added, for emphasis. "Now first question, where am I?" She moved her hand from the woman’s mouth mouth, still keeping her arm wrapped firmly around the neck.

"You are aboard the SSV Normandy," she replied. Revan picked up a faint accent in her voice…Talravian maybe? It didn't matter.

"Are you with the Republic?" Revan asked, although she already doubted that. The Republic would have executed her as soon as they found her.

"Republic?" asked the woman, confusion in her voice. "No I am not working for the Asari."

She could sense that the woman was not lying. But what was that word she used? Asari? Revan was unfamiliar with that.

"I…I am an Alliance medical officer."

"Liar," Revan growled, instantly picking out the lie through the force. Forget it; she would just do this the easier way. She reached out into the woman’s mind and spoke with the power of the force.

"Tell me who you work for."

"I work for Cerberus," she replied, her tone perfectly calm now. Revan could feel her powers taking control of the woman.

"Who or what is Cerberus?" Revan had never heard that word before, and she was getting more confused with every question she asked.

"A terrorist organization that seeks to advance the cause of humans in the galaxy."

Great. Revan resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had been rescued by a bunch of xenophobic pricks. Although it was odd the woman referred to them as a terrorist organization. Most of those assholes called themselves freedom fighters or some other bullshit. 

"But I work directly for the commander, not the Illusive Man." Revan could feel that last bit of information was offered freely by the doctor, seeking to defend herself, her choices. She didn’t need the force to persuade her to say that.

"And who is the commander, and is she part of Cerberus?" Revan asked, once more forcing her will on the woman.

"Commander Jane Shepard leads us. She was recruited by Cerberus to investigate attacks on human colonies, but she is just using them for their resources and does not agree with their personal agenda."

Well that was slightly better. Revan could appreciate such a clever move. "Okay, last question. Where are my belongings?" If she was going to make an escape then she would prefer to do it clothed.

"Your clothes and armour are in the bin by the door. Your weapons were sent up to the armory."

"Thank you doctor." With that she lightly touched the woman’s forehead with causing her to go limp. Revan gently set her down and rose, her force sense telling her no one had been alerted, she quickly moved to the bin and began redressing.

Pulling her hood up Revan left the med bay, and in perfect silence she walked across the room towards the elevator, cocking an eyebrow at the holo controls. She had never personally encountered technology such as this, although she had heard of it. Most people still preferred actual physical controls.

She carefully pushed the glowing button and stepped onto the elevator. Her equipment should be one floor up, the CIC— the next floor was labelled _Captain's cabin_. Revan pushed the button to the CIC and the elevator silently began moving.

Revan watched as the display told her she had reached the CIC but the doors did not open. Instead she watched as it continued up to the captain's cabin. Revan glanced up, seeing the small security camera in the corner.

Shit, she was being monumentally stupid today. In her confusion about the surroundings and instinct to escape she had actually forgotten about security systems. Well it looked like the captain wanted to say hello. Revan grinned; she was going to make her work for it though.

Reaching out with the force Revan grabbed the elevator with an invisible fist, halting its ascension. With a wave of her hand she ripped the doors open. Dropping to the ground she slid through the small gap and jumped down, landing in the CIC. Almost immediately an alarm began blaring throughout the ship and a distinctly feminine voice spoke through the ship’s speakers as Revan ran into the room labelled armory.

"Hey asshole! If you hurt Chakwas then I am going to tear your head off. Stop running!" Revan couldn't help but grin at the words. The woman's voice held a great amount of strength and confidence that reminded her of— her thoughts were interrupted by a shout.

"Freeze!" Revan regarded the large dark-skinned man who held a rather odd looking rifle.

Revan did not hesitate to launch herself forward. She slammed her shoulder into the man's chest, throwing him against the wall. Revan instantly spun, hammering a blow to the man's gut, causing him to double over, then her elbow connected with the back of the man's head, causing him to drop to the floor.

Revan's hands shot out, and all five of her lightsabers instantly flew towards her body, affixing themselves to their proper resting places. She also grabbed her helmet with the force. They must have wanted to pull data from it. She placed the helmet on her head, the HUD instantly flaring to life as she strode back to the elevator.

The door slid open to reveal a woman. She stood about five foot nine, several inches shorter than Revan. She had flame red hair down to her shoulders, and bright emerald eyes glared at her Her full lips and strong jaw were locked into a scowl yet she still retained her immense beauty. The glowing orange scars gave her a very menacing appearance, but to Revan it only added to her attractiveness. She was wearing a black and white uniform devoid of any logos, and she was holding a large three barreled gun which had a swooping curve as part of its main design.

Revan could instantly sense her in the force; she was a whirlwind of strength and confidence. Revan could feel the conflicted emotions within her— anger and compassion were split almost equally. While she instantly knew that this woman would never kill an innocent or someone unarmed, she also would not hesitate to kill any who posed a threat to her or those she cared about. And right now, Revan was a threat.

Revan also noted that she had a very strong will. It took her a fraction of a second to determine that she would be immune to all forms of manipulation.

While Revan could not detect any force abilities within the woman, she did pick up on a strange substance coursing through her and felt it granted her tremendous power. "One more step and you die," she growled.

Revan threw her hand forward, slamming the commander into the wall with the force. She let out a loud grunt, weapon falling away, but still in her hand. Revan bolted forward and smacked the weapon from her hand, sending it skidding into the corner.

She spun and hit the button for the shuttle bay. She turned back just in time to avoid the blow she had sensed coming. Ducking under the punch Revan slammed her fist into the commander’s gut. The breath whooshed out from her and Revan threw a shoulder into her chest, knocking her back against the wall with a shout of pain.

Revan was impressed with how quickly she recovered. A knee slammed up into her gut. Revan allowed the blow to connect, her armour easily negating the blow. The commander was quick to follow up her failed attack with another. Revan easily stepped back to avoid the blow. 

The commander closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Her whole body started to glow blue, her raised fist glowing more harshly than any other part. Revan was completely stunned. What kind of power was that? She didn't have time to think as the glowing blue fist slammed into the side of her head. Stars exploded in her eyes and she stumbled back, her head smacking against with the wall from the force of the punch.

The power of her punch shouldn't have been possible! Revan hadn't sensed any force powers from the commander, but the power behind the attack was as powerful as her own force strengthened hits. Revan shook her head, barely ducking under a second punch. She couldn't dwell on that now. This fight just got much more dangerous, and the very thought made her grin.

Revan's back hit the elevator door as she weaved past a third punch. She blocked a follow up strike, her own fist snapping out to slam into the commander’s jaw. The woman grunted loudly, her head snapping back as she stumbled a step and Revan pressed her advantage. She landed a second punch, striking the commander’s diaphragm.

The commander sunk to her knees, the air completely driven from her body. Revan quickly reached out with the force and wrapped her in an invisible fist. Her eyes were wide with shock and Revan could see the fury written on her face, a vein bulging in her neck as she struggled against the force.

Revan grinned behind her helmet, not out of arrogance, but because she was thankful that the fight was over. It was only delaying her escape. The commander snarled in anger, the blue light exploding all over her body as she shattered the hold on her and slammed right into Revan’s chest.

Revan didn't even have enough breath left in her body to grunt as the commander smashed into her, crashing through the elevator door to land roughly in the room beyond. Revan’s whole head was pounding and her vision was spinning as she tried to stare at the woman on top of her. Dammit that had hurt! She had definitely broken her ribs again.

A fist slammed into her face, causing Revan to see spots. If he hadn't already been lying on the ground the force of the blow would have caused her head to smash back against the helmet. That was the downside to these Mandalorian helmets. They would protect you on the outside, but on the inside it felt like being bounced around in a durasteel box.

Revan summoned all her strength and slammed her hand into the commander's chest, hitting her with the force rather than her actual fist. She was launched off Revan and she heard her crash somewhere beyond.

Revan groaned as she rolled onto her side, hissing at the pain in her side. She slowly got to her feet. She hurt all over and her head was still spinning. She began healing her wounds once more as she scanned for her foe.

She saw the commander getting to her feet, climbing out of a group of crates she had slammed into. That was enough of this! Revan growled in annoyance. This was taking too long. Guess she would have to kill the woman after all. In an instant both her standard lightsabers shot into her hands.

The commander was advancing on her, her whole body glowing again. Revan was only a second from igniting her weapons when seven figures leapt down from the elevator and stormed through the shattered door. They trained their rifles on her and formed a semicircle in front of her.

Revan weighed her options quickly. She wasn’t sure if she could win the fight. She was wounded and exhausted, something she was used to fighting through. But if any of these newcomers had powers like the commander, she would be in trouble.

Perhaps it would be best to submit herself for capture and escape once she was fully healed. She was ashamed that her first attempt had failed, all due to her poor planning. At least she would have time to fully berate herself while in captivity.

Revan held in a sigh. She never liked surrendering, but this was the best course of action. She was wounded and facing powers she had never seen before. Caution was the best path. She gently placed her weapons on the ground. Taking two steps back she placed her hands behind her head and knelt on the ground.

There were several long seconds of silence and absolute stillness. She couldn't sense the commander's thoughts but she could tell that the woman was furious. Revan was still close enough to retrieve her weapons if they decided to open fire.

"I surrender,” Revan said, keeping her voice level.

"Are you serious?" the commander asked, the fury in her voice obvious.

"Yeah. I’m too wounded to escape. I’m sure I can arrange for a ransom, if you don’t plan on executing me." Since the commander wasn’t affiliated with anyone Revan knew, it was possible they hadn’t planned to execute her. A ransom would buy her time.

“The fuck are you talking about?” Some of the fury fell away and was replaced with confusion. “Nobody is getting executed or ransomed. We were just trying to help you. Then you attack my people for our trouble.”

A true act of charity? Revan couldn’t remember the last time she encountered such a thing. She didn’t sense the commander was obviously lying, but she was difficult to read. Her voice and expression were sincere though.

"If that’s the case then I apologize. I woke in a strange place, and I was restrained. I assumed the worst.” It was second nature to Revan by now. She had learned that you could not trust others to act in your best interest.

Trust was a luxury she could not afford to give to everyone. She trusted three beings in the entire galaxy. One was dead, one was a bloody droid, and the other was among the people she had crushed just a few short years ago.

"We restrained you because Chakwas was worried you may start thrashing and hurt yourself. You could have just talked to us rather than attacking us like a fucking criminal. We just wanted to help."

“I can't remember the last time anyone had my best interests in mind." It was true. Her apprentice and former friend wanted her dead, hell half the galaxy wanted her dead.

Revan was sure that even some of her own people wouldn't have helped if they had been the ones to find her. If they did they would do it for hope of a promotion or some kind of favour.

Revan noted a change in the commander’s expression. It flashed so quickly that she may have imagined it, but for a split second Revan swore that her features softened and something akin to sorrow flashed in her face, but then it was gone and her face was stern again. A quick look with the force told Revan that something about her words had indeed helped her case.

The commander stared at her long and hard. She could tell the redhead was trying to come to a decision, but her strong will made it impossible for Revan to read her thoughts. It was almost thirty seconds before she spoke again

"Follow me, keep your hands at your sides. Any sudden moves and we will put you down, understood?" Her tone was like iron. She would broker no argument, and if Revan tried she knew the redhead would have her shot.

"Perfectly commander." Perhaps this way was the best.

At least Revan could get her bearings, perhaps barter for information on her location and a way home. No doubt this commander would want something from her, credits, or technology maybe. Part of her thought that the commander wouldn't demand anything from her. She had sensed the goodness in the redhead.

Revan’s logic quickly crushed that gut feeling though— that wouldn't happen. Everybody wanted something. If she couldn't pay the price then she would take what she needed by force, and she wouldn't be pulling any punches next time.

* * *

 

Shepard sighed as Chakwas scanned her wounds with an omni-tool. "I’m fine," she grumbled. "You're the one who got knocked unconscious." Although the older woman did seem to be unharmed, it seemed that masked lunatic hadn’t hurt her.

"Oh stop whining. You have two broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, fine is far from the truth." Chakwas did have a point.

Shepard felt like she had just gone five rounds with a Krogan and didn't come out the winner. If the security team hadn't shown up when they did...well the man probably would have escaped, something he seemed pretty desperate to do.

"You will need at least a week's worth of bed rest before you are clear for field duty. These implants seem to accelerate your healing but broken bones still take time."

Shepard just grumbled. They were due at Omega tomorrow at thirteen hundred hours, local time. She sure as hell didn't plan on lying in bed, too much to do. She needed to find that Salarian professor, and then she needed to find this Archangel guy. But first she had to deal with a problem located one floor down from her.

"Okay I am all finished up here, please try and take it easy. Now I have to go and check on our new friend. You probably made her wounds even worse, though I’m impressed she managed to fight so well with broken ribs and a concussion."

Shepard only half listened to Chakwas. Her whole body was still pulsing with pain as she pulled on her shirt.

"I’ll go down with you doc. I need to have a little chat with that masked dick." Shepard hopped off the table, gritting her teeth in pain. There was also no chance in hell she was leaving the older woman alone with that lunatic.

"Well just be careful commander, she can be…very persuasive." Shepard turned at the woman's tone, eying her carefully.

"What do you mean?" Rage flooded through her as she imagined what that bastard had done. "Karen what did that fuck do to you?" she growled, taking a step towards the doctor. If he did anything to Chakwas, she would rip that fucker’s head off.

"She didn’t hurt me commander, Just asked me questions, and I answered.. I tried to lie but…" the woman looked down her voice had gotten quiet. "I couldn’t it was like she was in my head. I couldn't lie, I was completely incapable of telling her anything but the truth."

How was that possible? Could he possess some kind of technology that made people tell the truth? The only thing she knew of that could control people was… Shepard immediately ran from the room. Shit this was not good!

She got into the ruined elevator, it still worked but they had taken the door off. Chakwas ran in beside her. "Commander what is going on?"

"The only thing that can control people like that is the Reapers." What the doctor had described sounded a lot like indoctrination. Was this…man some kind of new advanced Reaper? Meant to infiltrate the galaxy and somehow secure their return? She wasn't going to take any chances.

The elevator stopped and Shepard wasted no time in turning right and quickly walking to the garbage compactor room, where two guards were stationed outside the locked door. She grabbed a pistol from one of the guards.

"On me," she ordered. "EDI, open the door." The red seal disappeared and the door slid open silently.

Shepard marched inside, the two guards flanking her and Chakwas just a step behind. The man was facing them as they entered, his face hidden behind that red and black mask

. "Commander," he said in an even tone, voice coming out synthesized, likely to hide their identity even further. Shepard didn't say anything before leveling the pistol at his head.

"Who are you?" she demanded, trying to see any evidence of Reaper technology on him, an impossible task due to his entire body being hidden. Although Chakwas would have called her if she had found anything out of the ordinary during her examination.

"My name is Revan," he said, his tone still level and devoid of emotion. "And you’re Commander Jane Shepard." She didn't bother asking how he knew her name. She was slightly famous and he also could have gotten that information from Chakwas.

"I’ll ask this only once. Do you work for the Reapers?"

"Reapers?" the man asked, cocking his head slightly. He did appear genuinely confused by the word, but she wouldn't be convinced by a little acting. "I’m unfamiliar with that term. Are they a rival organization to Cerberus?"

"Do you have any way of proving you don’t work for the Reapers?" She wasn't going to bother with an explanation of who they were, she wanted to get to the bottom of this. However even as she asked the question Shepard knew the odds of that were low. They had no way to test for indoctrination.

"How can I prove that when I do now know what they are?" Annoyance was evident in his tone now. He did have a point, so she would try something else.

"How did you force Chakwas to tell the truth?"

"Oh that." The man seemed to relax slightly, and he crossed his arms as he explained. "That’s simple force technique to make people of a weaker will to speak only the truth. Don’t worry, no damage is done, I merely needed information." Shepard stared at the masked man.

"A what technique?" she asked. The word did not ring any bells, although some of his powers during their fight had seemed like biotic powers, but she had not seen the blue glow of mass effect fields that were created when harnessing biotics. She had also never heard of a biotic power that could control people’s minds.

"A force technique…you don't know of the force?" Shepard simply shook her head, what the hell was he talking about? What was the force?

"Do you mean biotics?" she asked, perhaps they used a different word where he was from.

"That depends…what are biotics?"

"Certain individuals who have been exposed to trace elements of Element Zero, or Eezo, develop nodes in our bodies. Through implants we can generate mass effect fields with our bodies to harness dark energy." To illustrate her point she activated her biotics and lifted a nearby crate from the floor, surrounding it in a blue glow.

Shepard set the crate down and looked back at the masked man.

"Your abilities are…similar to the force," he began. A second later every object in the room not bolted to the ground lifted from the floor but Shepard neither saw nor felt a mass effect field being generated. Everything was gently set back down.

Revan spoke again. "But to use the force doesn’t require implants, nor a foreign element in one's body. It’s something that occurs naturally, although few people can use the force…this explains what I sensed in you, it must be this element zero." Shepard almost laughed at his words.

"Excuse me did you say sense? You can sense the eezo in me?"

"The force grants me the ability to sense many things. Your will is very strong so it’s hard for me to read your inner emotions and thoughts. But your companion for instance," he gestured to the man on her left. "His name is Davis Jackson. He was born on a colony named New Toronto. His mother died of cancer when he was twelve, his father-"

"Shut the fuck up!" screamed Jackson, raising his rifle to aim at the man. Shepard forced her shock down as she quickly grabbed the rifle.

"You are both dismissed," she said quickly. Jackson's companion grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him from the room, sidestepping the doctor.

Shepard turned back to Revan. "How the hell did you do that?" she demanded. That was impossible! Reading minds was some bullshit from science fiction and fantasy.

"As I said, the force grants many abilities, that is just a small fraction of what I can do." Shepard simply stood stunned.

How was this possible? Her mind tried to think of a way that this could simply be a trick but no matter how hard she tried nothing could disprove what had just happened, at least not without sounding almost as improbable as mind reading.

"It’s not a trick," said Revan suddenly.

"Stay out of my head," Shepard snarled. She wasn't about to have someone rooting through her mind.

"I wasn't, the disbelief was written all over your face. Here, I’ll make it more obvious." Revan stepped forward, his hand reaching out to her. Shepard immediately snapped the pistol back up to his head

"Not another step," she growled.

"Relax. If I wanted to kill you, I would have," he replied gently. His tone was calm and soothing, despite the words.

It made Shepard want to believe him but she wasn't about to let her guard down. Shepard put her finger on the trigger. If he even tried to move the gun then her finger would flex and it would go off.

"One wrong move and you die."

"I understand. You’ll feel a slight pain in your ribs, but I promise I’m not harming you."

With that he set his gloved hand on her injured rib. Shepard winced as pain erupted in her side. She almost shot the man then as her mind instantly screamed out that he was attacking her somehow. She decided to give the man a moment longer. The pain was brief and soon all the former discomfort was gone and the pain was slowly fading.

They stood in silence for a full minute before Revan stepped back. "Your wounds are now healed," he said flatly. Shepard blinked several times before the meaning hit her. The pain in her ribs was gone, even the soreness in her shoulder was gone!

"How is this possible?" she breathed. Her mind was spinning. This was fucking magic! Straight out of a fairy tale!

Revan chuckled. "If you want a scientific or philosophical reason for the force existing I have none, it simply is." He took another step back from her. "Now I’ve answered your questions, I have one of my own, just one."

"And what is that?" Shepard asked. She still didn't trust him but he had seemed pretty forthcoming about his powers. He could have kept them a secret and used them to his advantage, but he hadn't, and she had to respect that.

"Where the hell am I?"

 


	4. Not my home

Revan stared at the map filling the center of the CIC. The commander had told her they were near a space station called Omega in the Sahrabarik system. The words meant nothing to Revan and so the commander had taken her up to the CIC and shown her the galaxy map. She could only stare in silence.

Everything was wrong. Planets that should have been there were not, others had different names. Revan could not find Coruscant, and the Commander hadn't even recognized the name! What was going on here?

"What’s that?" Revan asked, zooming in on their current location she found a large object marked, _Mass Effect Relay._

"That's this system’s mass relay," the commander replied, moving beside her to get a better look. Revan noted that the redhead’s posture was still very guarded, as if she was ready for Revan to attack again at any moment.

Ignoring the commander’s attitude for the moment, Revan instead voiced her question. "And what is a mass relay?"

The commander gave her a very odd look then, as though she was crazy. Revan guessed that these relays must be common knowledge, so why hadn't she ever heard of them? What the hell was going on!

"We use them to almost instantly jump between star systems."

"You need a device that massive the achieve hyperspace travel?" The idea seemed ludicrous. Almost every ship could be fitted with a hyperdrive.

"Hyperspace?" asked the Commander, arching an eyebrow. "Wait…is that like FTL?"

"If you mean faster than light, then yes." Revan looked back at the galaxy map and stared at it. Something was very wrong here. The force was wrong, the technology was wrong, the damn galaxy itself was wrong!

"Well we do have an FTL drive, as do most ships, but using those it would take years, even centuries to travel between star systems. The drives are used for travel within systems." Revan nodded. So their hyperspace capabilities were also nowhere near what she was used to.

She continued studying at the map, her brain was racing to try and solve this puzzle. She was convinced that she had not simply jumped to some forgotten corner of the galaxy; this map covered the entire galaxy. But it was not Revan’s galaxy.

Revan froze, was that it? Was it really that ridiculous? Was it also that simple? It certainly would explain…well everything. She had already asked the Commander about the Jedi and Sith. Both words meant nothing to her and she genuinely did not appear to know who Revan was.

Their technology was far different from Revan’s own. As ludicrous as it was it was the only thing that made sense. Cross galaxy travel was theoretically possible, but it had never been achieved to her knowledge.

"Commander," Revan said softly—she was probably going to think her mad. "I’m not from this galaxy."

"Excuse me?" Revan saw the commander turn to face her, but she continued staring at the map.

"This map is completely different from where I come from. No planets are the same. Even your technology is different. Where I come from we could travel across the galaxy in a matter of days with a hyperdrive that a simple freighter would be equipped with." Revan turned to face the commander now and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the doubtful look on the redhead’s face.

"How can you possibly expect me to believe that?" The commander crossed her arms and stared at Revan hard, eyes searching, trying to glean any details. It was an impossible task because of her clothing, which was part of the reason she always hid her features.

"I assume it is a fact here that there are other galaxies that can contain life?" Revan asked, she really hoped that was common knowledge; it seemed likely they would know that, given their level of technology. The Commander nodded and she continued. "It’s clear that in this galaxy you haven’t discovered how to travel to another galaxy. The same is true in mine."

Revan was smiling behind her helmet now. She was just glad to have finally come up with an explanation of what was going on.

"In my galaxy I had just developed an experimental hyperdrive engine that was supposed to be far faster than current models. I personally tested the device. My terminal could not even calculate the speeds I traveled at. The drive overloaded and destroyed my ship, which is where you found me. I now find myself in a strange place where none of the technology or planets are the same. Tell me commander, what would be your explanation?"

The Commander was silent; Revan could see her processing the words. She did not reply though. Instead it was a female voice that sounded artificial.

"Commander I believe that there may be merit to Revan's claims." Revan hadn't realized she was being monitored by a computer, although the fluctuations in the voice made her suspect it was actually an AI.

"The power surge I detected earlier was likely the arrival of Revan's ship. The level of power registered higher than any ever thought possible. Not even the mass relays produce that much power upon activation. In fact, estimates of their true power is not even a fraction of what Revan's vessel emitted."

"You really believe him EDI?" The Commander still didn't take her eyes off of Revan.

She almost chuckled at the commander’s choice of pronoun. She sometimes forgot that people could not easily discern her gender. Of course, her voice modulator further hid her identity as well. The doctor must not have informed the commander of her gender.

"The theory of cross galaxy travel is a question of distance. While it would be impossible to reach a galaxy with our current FTL speeds, it is possible that a device of enough power could achieve the required speeds. However, I have no way to be certain as the ship was completely destroyed. The possibility does exist, Shepard."

As much as Revan did not like being monitored, she was, at this moment at least, thankful for the AI's input. She felt the Commander wouldn't be so easily persuaded though. If Revan really was in a different galaxy then what did she do? How was she supposed to get back?

These people did not have the technology to do it. So what was she supposed to do? Suddenly her life in her own galaxy didn't seem so lonely—at least there she knew people,  had a purpose. What did she have now?

There were possibilities of course. Her powers always gave her options. If she really wanted to then she could probably kill everyone on this ship, or even bend most of them to her will. But what then? What would she do? Try and conquer this galaxy? What was the point? Power for power’s sake had never interested Revan.

Her whole reason for attacking the Republic was because she wanted to make it strong. She had wanted to prepare them, to make them strong enough to resist the true Sith. It had been her dream; it had become her whole purpose in life. What did she have now?

All Revan had now was power and no reason to use it. She almost laughed. Malak or any of the other Sith would not have minded this situation. They would have used their power to sow chaos and havoc, build their own empire. But Revan was not them. She had never truly been Sith, and she had never fully given into the dark side. So what was she?

She should have felt a weight lift from her shoulders; all her responsibilities were suddenly gone. The troubles of the galaxy were no longer hers. The final orders she issued would ensure that the Republic was made stronger. Even if it wasn't her finishing the job, she would still help prepare them for what was to come.

The order would have been immediately sent to HK47 and Canderous. The order was very clear. Canderous would assume control of all Sith forces. HK was to eliminate Malak and all others who opposed the Mandalorian’s command.

Her apprentice was the last person Revan wanted to seize control. Her former friend had given over to the dark side fully, reveling in its power. The man had become a merciless brute. Burning and slaughtering entire planets for the sake of it. He had never understood Revan's plan, her vision—the fool just wanted power for the sake of having it.

Truthfully Revan had been close to killing him anyway. She would never let Malak take power, that would spell ruin for the Republic. She was confident that her trusty assassin droid would be able to take care of Malak.

After all, he had been primarily built to eliminate Jedi, plus she was sure Canderous would help in killing her former apprentice; the gruff Mandalorian never had liked that tall bastard. If all went according to plan, a direct confrontation wouldn't even be necessary. They had rigged Malak's flag ship to self-destruct in a moment's notice.

Canderous would be a good man to take control of her forces. She had met the Mandalorian during the war where she had defeated his people; he had been one of Mandalore's guards. After the battle the Mandalorian had approached Revan and pledged his service.

While at first she had been cautious of accepting a former enemy in her ranks, the man had become the only living person that Revan trusted.

Her order would be carried out, she had no doubt about that. They had been planning for a contingency plan if Revan ever died or disappeared. She trusted Canderous to fulfill her vision, so by all rights her galaxy would be prepared for the Sith. So why did it feel like the weight had gotten even more crushing? Perhaps it was—

"Hey, you okay?"

Revan was snapped from her thoughts by the Commander’s voice. She turned to face her; the surprise she felt from hearing actual concern in the other woman’s voice was doubled when Revan saw it written on her features, softening them from the glare she usually gave her, even if it was only for a second.

"I…Commander may I have some time alone? There’s a lot for me to consider."

"Only if you promise not to go attacking everyone again."

"I apologize for that. I promise that I mean no harm…I simply need to think."

"You can have the compactor room for now. And EDI will be monitoring you at all times."

"I understand commander, thank you." She couldn't blame the commander for treating her with suspicion; she was actually surprised the redhead wasn't going to have her locked up, or restrained. She was a very interesting woman.

Revan headed to the elevator and rode it down. She had much to consider. She had gone from being the lord of her own Sith Empire, the most feared woman in an entire galaxy…to no one. She was just a woman with strange powers in a strange galaxy.

Although this galaxy did have its own strange powers. These biotics that the Commander had used were definitely an interesting development, and a very perplexing one. Revan’s force sense should have warned her of the danger of the commander’s biotic powered attacks, but she had received nothing. Every time the commander activated them she felt absolutely nothing, no warning. It would require further study, but for now she had bigger concerns, like what the hell she was going to do.

So much of Revan’s life had been spent fighting for the Republic, whether she was doing it as a general in their army or she was conquering it under the guise of a Sith Lord. Everything she had done was for the Republic, to protect people from true evil.

While some may say that she in turn was evil for her methods, Revan had never considered herself as evil. Then again most tyrants never did. Still, she believed in her vision, in what she had been doing.

But that was all gone now; her life's purpose was gone. While there was a small chance she could find a way home, she didn't want to create false hope. She would learn what she could about this galaxy, learn about their technology. Once she knew if there was any hope of her ever returning home, then she could decide on what to do, although for the life of her, she had no idea what that would be.

* * *

 

Shepard sat in her cabin, reviewing the new dossier that the Illusive Man had just sent her. Zaeed Massani, a mercenary/bounty hunter with a pretty fearsome reputation. While she normally wouldn't want to take a mercenary on her team she recognized that she would need experienced people to fight the Collectors.

Plus, Wrex had technically been a mercenary when they first met and now she trusted the Krogan with her life. She would just judge the man when she met him; she was always good at reading people.

Shepard glanced over to her second screen which displayed the security feed in the compactor room. Revan sat at the table, working on a portable terminal that they had brought down for him. According to EDI he had been researching the mass relays and FTL technology for the past five hours.

Shepard had been asleep for most of that time. EDI had only woken her to get permission to give him the terminal, then the AI had promised to inform her if he began looking into anything suspicious.

She was still having difficulty accepting the fact that he was from a different galaxy. The fact that the AI had stated that it was technically possible did help to alleviate some of her skepticism. It was still crazy though.

She was massively curious about the man though, especially about the powers he had. The display in the compactor room had been impressive; he lifted everything in the room without moving or even looking at the objects. He had also healed her, and likely himself, as though it were simple.

Then there were the powers he had used during their fight. When he had punched her in the gut it felt like...well a punch from a Krogan hurt less than what Revan had delivered. It had driven all the air from her and knocked her flat. She had summoned every ounce of her biotic power to slam into him.

She had always been very gifted in biotic slams. The training academy actually had to adjust their scales for power grading after some of her tests. She wasn't very skilled with other powers, but no one would ever challenge her charge power.

Not even a Krogan could match her; Wrex had been extremely surprised by that fact when she had knocked him flat during a sparring match. Of course, when they fought without biotics, she had to rely on speed to fight the scarred Krogan and not the brute strength of her charge.

When she had hit Revan with her charge she had hoped that it would end the fight, but then he had blasted her back with his invisible powers. She had smashed into the crates with such force that she cracked her ribs on the hard metal. She was pretty sure that's how her shoulder got dislocated as well.

If the crew hadn't arrived when they did she was certain that he would have kicked the shit out of her even more. Shepard also suspected that the man had been holding back during their fight. She didn't have proof but the man just bled power. It was almost as if radiated from him and seeped into the air. His stride was strong and confident, but she couldn't see any arrogance in it. One look and despite all the clothing that hid his features, it was apparent that he was a very deadly opponent.

Another quick glance at the security camera showed Revan still at his seat. What was she going to do about him? He had attacked her crew for no real reason at all, although something about what he said struck her as odd. He had said that in his galaxy no one would have helped him if they had found him like she had.

" _I can't remember the last time anyone had my best interests in mind."_ Shepard thought back on the words. They had surprised her at the time and she sympathized with them. That is what life used to be like for her. That had helped in her decision to not kill him, that and the facts that he had hadn't killed any of her crew and he had surrendered when he probably didn't need to.

She couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be in his situation, taken away from everything and everyone you know and love. Dammit she had been gone for two years and everything was already different enough.

To be thrown into another galaxy out of the blue…well that would suck. That was the only other moment of brief compassion she had for the man, after he had explained where he was from he just stared at the galaxy map. She could only imagine the things going through his head. She knew that she would have been a wreck, and for a moment she had felt sorry for him. Then she remembered he had attacked them.

Honestly the only reason she was hesitating to help was because he had attacked first. Otherwise she wouldn't have hesitated to help Revan out. But now she was questioning everything about him. If his first instinct was to attack, could she really trust him?

Shepard sighed and rubbed her face. God this was getting too complicated way too quickly. Maybe she should just dump Revan on Omega and be rid of him, then she could focus on her mission.

She really considered doing it, she really did, but before she could continue too long with that thought, she was interrupted.

"Commander, Revan is requesting to come up to speak with you," said EDI. She instantly looked over to the security camera; he was no longer at his seat. Filtering through the feeds she found him standing in the elevator.

"Let him come up," she answered. Shepard quickly made sure the pistol on her desk was in easy reach. She was curious as to what Revan could want. After their fight he had seemed…decent, for lack of a better word, but there was still something odd about him.

"Come in," she called as there was a knock on her door. Spinning her chair around she watched as Revan walked in, still wearing his mask.

"Before you say anything," she said quickly, "take that mask off. I won't have another conversation with you unless I can see your eyes." She didn't trust people who hid their faces, the obvious exception being the Quarians, because they had no choice.

Revan didn't move for a moment before he reached up and pulled down his hood, then lifted free the red and black helmet. Shepard blinked several times in rapid succession. Oh.

“You’re a woman,” she blurted, then immediately cursed herself for sounding like an ass. But, in her defence, with all those robes and armour Revan did appear pretty bulky. There was nothing giving away her gender. 

“Yes,” Revan said bluntly. “Did your doctor not tell you?” Her voice contained a rich Australian accent. It was strong, but also smoky, and if Shepard were being honest, sexy.

Now that she thought about it, Chakwas had referred to Revan as a she. Shepard just had other things on her mind and hadn’t picked up on it. “Slipped my mind,” Shepard replied with a shrug.

She took a moment to get a good look at the other woman. Revan had strong features, and her face was well defined, with smooth bronze skin. Her black hair was pulled up into a series of tight braids. She had vivid grey eyes, almost silver. They were incredibly striking for both their beauty and strength they held.

“Sorry for the confusion.” She may as well apologize. She would be annoyed if someone thought she was a guy.

“It’s fine.” Revan shrugged in response, helmet tucked under her left arm. “Many people make the same assumption.”

“Well that voice modulator in your helmet certainly doesn’t help.”

“That is the point.”

"So what did you want?" Shepard asked, filing that comment away for later thought. They may as well get right to the point. She wanted to deal with this problem so she could focus on her mission.

"Well I’ve been looking into your technology. Those mass relays are an interesting device. But the main thing I learned is that with this galaxy’s level of technology it would be impossible for me to construct a device capable of taking me home." Revan’s expression was still hard as she spoke and her solid voice never wavered.

"Are you certain?" Although if that technology did exist Shepard probably would have heard of it.

"Positive. Your FTL drives are a hundred times weaker than our average hyperdrive." Was Revan’s technology really so superior to their own? Shepard quickly shook those thoughts from her head. That didn't matter right now.

"For what it's worth, I’m sorry. I can't imagine what it's like." Despite getting off to a bad start she really did mean it. No matter her personal feelings, Revan was in a bad situation.

"Thanks. But this leaves me at a loss. I know very little about this galaxy, its inhabitants, its customs. It is very different from my own."

"So what will you do?"

"Well that depends on you Commander."

"On me?" Was this woman seriously asking to join her? Yes, she did need help but…well she didn't know if she could trust this woman.

"When I was…asking your doctor questions she mentioned that you are investigating attacks on human colonies. I would know the details."

"Why?" Shepard asked flatly.

"Because for the first time in my life I have no purpose. I would have one again." Revan’s voice still did not waver in the slightest, and her intense grey eyes locked with Shepard’s.

It seemed pretty reasonable; hell the woman didn't even have a job she could keep herself busy with. Although judging by the way she fought, Shepard doubted Revan would be content as a bar tender.

Shepard considered the request for a moment. Should she tell Revan? Her powers would be incredibly helpful, but there was still the trust issue. Maybe she should tell her, tell her everything and see her reaction. It would certainly be amusing to see if Revan joined the council and declared her mad.

"A race called the Collectors is abducting entire human colonies in a section of space called the Terminus systems. It is outside the jurisdiction of the Alliance and the Council so it is not being actively investigated." Shepard watched the other woman carefully while she spoke. So far her hard expression didn't change, so she went further.

"However, I believe that they are actually agents of a race of machines called the Reapers. These machines invade the galaxy every fifty thousand years and exterminate all technologically advanced sentient life."

The only reaction that she got was a very feint tilt of the head, but Revan said nothing and waited for her to continue. Did she really believe her?

"They tried to begin this cycle of extinction two years ago. But I and my crew stopped them. Now they’re locked in dark space waiting to return. I believe that the Collectors are somehow planning on bringing the Reapers through."

Revan was silent, almost too silent. Shepard’s mind instantly remembered the woman’s powers and she glared at her, resisting the urge to grab the pistol on her desk. "You better not be reading my mind," she growled.

"I wasn't. As I said your will is very strong. It would take a considerable effort on my part to break you and read your thoughts. All I can sense from you are obvious emotions and intentions. In any case I believe you." Her tone was still completely level, and that combined with her serious stare made Shepard laugh.

"Are you serious?" She really didn't know why she was laughing, maybe it was the stress, or maybe it was just the idea of believing her crazy story really was funny, because it really was crazy.

"I have no reason not to believe you. You don’t strike me as someone who would tell a grand lie. Plus, you really have nothing to gain by lying to me." That was a fair point. "So Commander, I would offer you my services. This galaxy is in danger and I would do what I can to protect it."

"Why?" It was all Shepard could ask. Why in the hell would someone not only believe her story but then offer to help her? What could Revan possibly hope to gain by helping her?

"That is a very long story. Suffice it to say my galaxy is also under threat from an invader. I took it upon myself to prepare the Republic for the coming invasion. So I understand your circumstances. This may very well be my new home for some time. Should I not defend it?”

Shepard was silent for a few moments. Was Revan telling the truth? Did she really understand how Shepard felt? From her words it sounded like the other woman at least sympathized with Shepard and her cause, enough to take it up. But she still couldn't help but wonder if Revan was being honest.

"I don't know if I can trust you," Shepard said flatly, "You have really given me no good reason to. I know almost nothing about you. How do I know you weren't just some murdering asshole in your galaxy?"

Revan shrugged as she answered. "You don't know. I’ve fought in wars most of my life, my experience should offset the potential risks. My powers in the force, my skill as a warrior and general would be a tremendous aid to you."

She sounded so sure of herself. Shepard did not doubt anything she said, but she wasn't going to accept a total stranger into her ranks. No matter how confident they were.

"That doesn't change anything. I won't allow a total unknown free roam aboard my ship, nor would I trust you to watch my back."

“Everyone is a stranger at some point,” Revan shrugged again. “It’s impossible to gain new allies without taking some sort of risk.”

"Most strangers don’t attack me and my crew!” Shepard growled. She was actually slightly annoyed at how calm the woman was.

“How the hell do you expect me to trust you after the introduction you made? I know nothing about you, how could I not question your motivations? You attacked my crew, for no good reason! You forced Chakwas to answer your questions by fucking with her head! Why the hell should I trust you?" Shepard was just shy of yelling at the other woman now. She didn’t forgive threats to her people lightly.

“I admitted it was a mistake,” Revan replied, her voice still unwaveringly calm. “Even so, I took a non-lethal approach. I could have slaughtered your entire crew.”

"And that is supposed to make me feel better? Just because you say you're sorry doesn't undo what happened!"

“Action’s cannot be undone. So what do you want from me?” There was the slightest change in Revan’s voice now, her eyes narrowing slightly. “I admit to my mistake. Now I’m offering you my assistance in your war and you use it as a reason to turn me away?”

Shepard took a minute to consider Revan’s words. If she did look at this with pure logic then Revan was correct. Everything she had done she had technically fixed, and she had not harmed Chakwas, apart from making her uneasy.

But Shepard couldn’t look at it like that. Even though she had not grown that close to the Cerberus crew, they were still under her command, and she could not easily forgive what Revan had done. Actions spoke louder than words, and Revan’s first instincts had been to attack strangers. That was a massive red flag.

"I don't know," Shepard said flatly. "Even if I could forgive it that still can't make me trust you."

"Good. Trust is a weakness." That got Shepard’s attention. Revan said the last part with such conviction— she firmly believed that statement. "I’m not asking for your trust. Simply use me and my abilities to defend your galaxy."

"I would never work with someone unless I trusted them." She spoke the words automatically, but as they left her mouth she realized how false they were. She didn't trust Cerberus and yet she was working with them. She still didn't trust Miranda or Jacob, and yet she was willing to go out on the field with them at her side.

So why couldn't she bring herself to accept Revan’s offer? It shouldn't be about simple trust; she had already pointed that out. Maybe it's because she was so willing to help but her reasons were completely unknown. At least she knew Cerberus's motivations. The Collectors were targeting humans specifically, and the Reapers threatened everything. She could use that. It was something she could work with.

Cerberus had already invested a massive amount of resources into helping her, into fighting against the Reapers. Those were actions that showed, at least when it came to fighting the Collectors, that Shepard could trust them.

Revan was a total enigma though. She came from another galaxy and all of the sudden is trying to pledge herself to a war? It didn't make sense. Maybe Shepard had gone too long with people refusing to believe about the Reapers, but it still didn't sit well with her. How could she trust someone who attacked total strangers?

Revan stared at the commander, trying to not let her annoyance show. She knew the woman didn’t trust Cerberus, yet she would work with them but not Revan? Hypocrite. Just what was this woman’s problem with her?

Trust should not matter. If this woman truly was fighting a war against such a terrible foe then she should not be so picky about her allies. Trust was completely unnecessary; it was not required in battle. In fact it was better to not trust your allies, then you could never be taken by surprise should they choose to betray you.

Was this woman really so foolish? That she would put her need for trust ahead of saving a galaxy? Perhaps she was not worthy of Revan’s help after all.

During her hours studying this galaxy’s technology she had also been thinking about the Commander. There was something strange about her; Revan knew that the force was trying to tell her something about the redhead. If she had just been an average person then Revan would not have given her a second thought.

Revan really wished that the force was a lot more straightforward and could just tell her plainly what it was trying to say. It worked in ways that no one could understand, and right now that fact infuriated her.

No matter what the force may have been trying to tell her, Revan still couldn't get over her own feelings towards the Commander right now. If she wouldn't accept her help, then could Revan really trust her to save this galaxy?

If Revan really wanted to fight against the Reapers and the Collectors then she could strike out on her own. True, this galaxy was foreign to her, but she was smart and resourceful, and she was confident that she could make it on her own.

Yet here she was, trying to gain the approval of this woman. WHY? She wanted to punch the wall in annoyance. This made no sense! To hell with this! The commander could turn down her help; Revan would find her own way, like she always had.

“Very well,” Revan said, keeping her voice level. “I won’t stay where I’m not wanted. I’ll depart at your next stop.”

"Fine,” the commander said. Her voice was devoid of any emotion and her face was still set in the firm glare she usually gave Revan.

“Good luck in your war.” Even with all her control, Revan couldn’t keep the disdain from her voice. She jammed her helmet back on and marched from the room without another word. _Stupid woman_.

Revan had not needed to prove herself to anyone for a very long time. In fact, since she could remember, she was always surprising her teachers and comrades with her abilities. But here this woman dared to question whether she was trustworthy? What right did she have?

Just because Revan could sense something odd about the commander didn't mean she was going to bend over backwards to try and please the woman. She had nothing to prove, not to herself, not to the commander, not to anyone. She was stuck in this galaxy and so she would do what she always did. She would fight to save it and not give a damn what people thought about her.

* * *

 

**Omega Station**

Revan stared down the dirty, crowded streets, filled with alien species she did not recognize. She didn’t know where she was going and right now she didn’t care.

She had left the ship the moment it touched down. The Commander had come down to see her out, the only thing she had said was a warning. "Don't do anything stupid." Revan hadn't even bothered to respond. She was still annoyed with the woman.

Someone foolish enough to turn down an ally as powerful as herself was someone she would never put herself under the command of. The commander was so damn hung up on whether or not she could trust Revan that she refused to see the larger picture; it was incredibly short-sighted and foolish. War required many hard decisions. It required risks, and it appeared that the commander was not willing to make them.

For now her goal was simple. She would try to learn about this galaxy. She would try to find out if this threat was real and if it was as bad as the Commander claimed. She knew that the force would guide her, and now hopefully that she was out of the Commander’s presence it would give her valuable information rather than some cryptic impossible to understand feelings.

Normally Revan would have trusted in those feelings that the force was giving her without any hesitation, but this was different, and deep down she knew exactly why. The commander was too much like HER.

The force had given her a similar urging before and it had led her to experience the worst pain she could possibly imagine. It still haunted her, scarred her. She wouldn't let that happen again, she couldn't take it. Hopefully the force would show her another way forward. It was unfortunate at the moment Revan forgot just how stubborn the force could be.

 


	5. The Professor

Shepard resisted the urge to rub her temples as they walked. The day had barely begun and she already had a headache, and it wasn't because of the shitty club music she could already hear coming from Afterlife.

"I just think it was a very rash decision to send her away. There was much she could have offered us," said the reason for her headache. Shepard didn't even bother looking at Miranda when she replied.

"You've said that a hundred times Miranda. Trust me I'm fully aware of your position on the matter. Can we please just drop it for now?" She held in her sigh. God she really hoped the woman would drop the topic soon. The decision to turn down Revan's offer may have been rash but she still believed it was the correct one.

Shepard shook her head, trying to force the pounding in her head away. It didn't matter anymore. The woman was gone and Shepard would never see her again. At least she hoped that was the case.

She did feel a little bit bad about essentially just dumping the woman on this station. After all she was in a completely foreign galaxy, knowing nothing about the technology, species, customs and cultures. Although she did have her strange powers to help her out, so she would probably be fine. Shepard just hoped the woman wouldn't cause trouble.

She pushed Revan out of her mind and focused instead on her mission. She moved past the line and climbed the steps to the club, ignoring the annoyed shouts of those still seeking to gain entrance. Shepard walked through the door without breaking her stride; the bouncer muttered that she could go in. As if he could have stopped her.

The only reason that she was even bothering to see this Aria person was because she apparently had information on Mordin and Archangel. She didn't particularly relish the thought of asking a crime lord for help. But then again probably everyone on Omega who could give her information was likely a criminal, so she may as well get it from the top dog.

The door to the interior of the club opened and Shepard was immediately blasted by noise, extremely loud and unpleasant noise. God her head hurt. Trying to ignore her surroundings she looked around for Aria. It didn't take long for her to spot a platform that overlooked the rest of the club, an armored Batarian stood by the stairwell leading up.

For a moment she considered putting on the helmet strapped to her waist. It would probably help with the noise, but although the Terminus armor was very well made, she did find that the helmet restricted her vision. During battle it would be fine as the protective benefits outweighed the slight vision impairment. Honestly it wasn't that bad, but outside of battle it just annoyed her too much. She had also just never found helmets comfortable.

She quickly marched across the club floor to the stairwell; the Batarian seemed to be expecting her as he simply jerked his head up the stairs. When she got to the top she was immediately met with the sight of five guards, four Batarian and one Turian, and in the middle, on a plush looking couch, sat an Asari with a very indifferent look on her face.

Shepard began moving forward.

"Aria?" She didn't make it far before every guard trained a weapon on her

"That's far enough," said the Asari. Yeah she was definitely the leader.

Shepard stared at the Turian who had a Carnifex only inches from her face. She heard Jacob and Miranda pulling out their own weapons. Shepard made no move; she simply glared at the Turian as a nearby Batarian put away his weapon and began scanning her. Her emerald eyes never left the Turian's dark brown ones. _Garrus's were prettier_.

"Get that gun out of my face," she growled. If this bastard wanted a fight she would give him one. She was not about to be intimidated by some thug, no matter who they worked for. She had stared down a pissed off Wrex, this guy was nothing. The gun didn't waver. The guy had balls…or whatever the Turian equivalent was. She would have to ask Garrus when she finally got the courage to send him a message.

"They're clean," said the Batarian. At his words Aria nodded to her guards and the weapons were lowered. Shepard glared at the Turian a second longer before looking at the Asari

"What was that for?" she asked.

"You’re a Spectre who was declared dead for two years. Can't be too careful."

Shepard supposed that was a fair point. Anyone could have assumed her identity during that time. She liked to think that the council would have put a stop to that though, purely for security reasons of course.

"So I’m told you are the person to talk to for information." She didn't want to waste any time— there had already been too much of that.

"Depends what you’re looking for," replied the Asari in an uninterested tone. She turned her head to look at something going on below. Shepard suppressed another sigh. Was she really trying this hard to make it clear that she was the one with all the power?

"I just wanna0 know where I can find a Salarian doctor named Mordin Solus and some mercenary called Archangel. Tell me that and I’ll leave you alone and be off your station as soon as I find them, something I think we would both like."

This woman was either going to tell her or she wasn't, so there was no point in treading carefully. She would get the information she needed, one way or another.

"An interesting pair," said Aria, still not looking back up to her. Shepard was beginning to lose her patience, but before she could speak again the Asari turned back around. "To find Mordin you’ll have to take a shuttle into the quarantine area. We have a bit of a plague going on right now. Last I heard Mordin had set up a clinic to try and help."

Shepard raised her eyebrows slightly at the information. A plague? Those were pretty uncommon these days; the closest thing to a plague now was bio-engineered weapons. Then again Omega didn't exactly have state of the art medical facilities. There were a lot of species packed in together so she supposed a plague wasn't that ridiculous.

"And Archangel?" Shepard almost laughed when she realized that she was going to recruit two mercenaries to her cause on this station.

She was just glad Revan wasn't around to bring up the hypocrisy in that. Of course, she could always counter that at least the mercenaries were being paid, probably a considerable sum too. While that wasn't exactly the best motivator at least it was one, and it kept them invested in her mission. She would still keep an eye on them but at least she knew why they were fighting.

Revan had just given her some bullshit about wanting a purpose in life and then refused to elaborate. Plus, Revan’s first reaction was to attack people. That set off a whole bunch of alarms in Shepard. People only did that when they had something to hide or were wanted for something.

Deep down Shepard was being a hypocritical ass. Her truly honest reasons for denying Revan’s offer of assistance were quite simple, but she could never admit it out loud, because it made her an even bigger ass.

She didn't trust the woman’s powers. They were unnatural, they were wrong, and they were far too powerful. Dammit, biotics experienced a lot of stupid superstitions and discrimination. It had gotten better now but even when she was young it was really bad. She could remember what it had been like when she had first realized her powers. All the god damn suspicion and hate!

So how could she possibly tell Revan that she wouldn't accept her help because she had some weird powers that freaked her out? But for fucks sake Revan could read people's minds! Or make them tell the truth! What if she could control what people thought or did? She couldn't take that risk; she couldn't take that chance of the strange woman manipulating her crew like that. ESPECIALLY when she didn't know her motivations.

Shepard silently cursed herself for letting her thoughts drift back to Revan. She really needed to stop doing that. Of course, the reason she couldn't stop thinking about the other woman was because she felt like an ass for doing what she did.

Dammit, how could she have turned Revan away when she had been in such a similar position earlier in her life? People turning her out because she had strange powers that scared them. It had hurt, hell it had almost meant her death.

Shepard sighed to herself and forced the terrible memories away. She silently berated herself for even letting them affect her. It seemed she couldn't do anything right lately. She could only think on all the things she had done wrong, the times she had been stupid or fucked up

"I don't know where Archangel is actually," said Aria. "He’s been running around Omega for quite some time, pissing off the major mercenary groups so he isn't exactly broadcasting his location."

Shepard was actually thankful for the crime lord from tearing her from her thoughts. She quickly tried to focus her mind once more.

This would make her job a lot harder. How was she supposed to recruit someone if she couldn't find them? Of course, there always was the possibility that Aria was lying. It wouldn't surprise her.

"You have anything I can go on?" she asked. Maybe the Asari would at least give her a clue.

"Sorry, nothing for you. But tell you what; if I hear anything then I’ll let you know." Shepard doubted that, but just nodded before replying,

"Thanks." And with that she turned and left the platform. She would get EDI to run a search for the mercenary; in the meantime she could focus on locating her two other recruits.

"So who are we going to find first?" asked Jacob.

"Mordin," she replied instantly. It was the best choice. "I want him working on a countermeasure for the Collectors right away. After we get him I’ll meet up with Zaeed and make sure he is all set to go. By then hopefully someone will have information on where to find Archangel."

"A good plan," replied Miranda. "I’ll tell EDI to contact Zaeed and arrange a rendezvous after we acquire the professor."

Shepard nodded in response and continued towards her goal. She needed to get her team together as quickly as possible. Every moment she wasted was another opportunity the Collectors had to attack another colony. It was more lives lost, and it was another failure on her shoulders. She would not allow that to happen. She would not fail anyone ever again.

This place was as shitty as the Taris undercity. Revan wound her way through the crowds, getting a fair amount of odd looks as she moved. She supposed her clothing did differ highly from this galaxy’s norm. She made a mental note to remove her robe from her outfit, as she would draw far less attention in just armour.

Ignoring the looks she readjusted the pack over her shoulder and continued on her way. She had quickly discovered that in this galaxy the people heavily relied on what was called an "omni-tool." It was definitely an interesting bit of technology.

She had used the force to persuade a local mercenary to hand his over, Revan had no other means of procuring one and the mercenary hadn't exactly paid for his honestly to begin with.

She had spent an hour familiarizing herself with its uses and it seemed this single item could do almost anything from working as a flashlight, to hacking security systems, to actually being used to construct items.

The hacking portion had come in quite helpful as she had quickly hacked a bank terminal and been able to get the funds she would need for basic supplies. Revan had also rented a small and dirty apartment in the area. She wasn't planning on staying for long so she hadn't bothered with anything too nice, of course somewhere nice probably didn't exist on this station.

Revan ignored the alien ranting about some kind of blight on the galaxy as she made her way to the apartment. While she had learned a fair amount of information about this galaxy’s technology during her stay on the Normandy, that was all she had learned about.

Her powers in the force allowed her to easily understand and speak the multitude of alien languages that were being spoken by the different species, but she still knew nothing of the aliens themselves, or anything else about this galaxy for instance.

To that end she had purchased a small terminal from a local merchant so she could continue her research. She could have done it on the omni-tool but she found it was annoying to use it for too long. She preferred a full console.

Right now it was her only priority, to learn all she could. Of course, she had always enjoyed learning and acquiring all knowledge that she could get her hands on. It was just even more important now, given the circumstances, rather than just an insatiable desire.

Revan made it back to the apartment without incident and quickly began setting up the terminal on the heavily used coffee table. She quickly began pulling up searches on topics of interest while she also prepared a quick meal. Damn it had been…well she didn't know exactly how long it had been since her last meal, but it felt like days.

Revan set her helmet down beside her on the dirty couch as she ate the meal and soaked up every bit of information available. She smiled as she began reading, feeling that familiar sense of pleasure she got when learning.

Shepard nodded to Jacob and the broad-shouldered man rounded the corner, firing his pistol at the Vorcha mercenary. Miranda quickly bolted across the courtyard and took cover behind one of the planters just before the group of mercs returned fire. Jacob ducked behind the wall with a curse as bullets smashed into the concrete.

Miranda rose and opened up with her SMG one handed, throwing a ball of biotic energy at the mercs with her free hand. Jacob tried to join her but was quickly forced back in cover. Shepard rounded the corner, readying her shotgun.

She instantly activated her biotics, feeling the rush of energy as weightlessness overcame her and in an instant she had smashed into the body of a Vorcha, sending him flying back to smash against a low wall. Shepard hear the snap of bones and the merc went limp.

Before anyone could react she immediately spun and shot another merc point blank in the face. Several rounds bounced off her barriers and she rolled to the side, shooting a second merc before she had even risen. She saw another merc drop from a burst of SMG fire to the head.

"Clear!" shouted Miranda, and both her and Jacob repeated the call. Shepard reloaded her shotgun and turned to her approaching squadmates

"Okay clinic should be just up ahead." Her companions nodded and she led the way. Sure enough they passed the clinic sign and found themselves at a security desk where several mechs and a human were aiming weapons at her.

"Calm down!" she said quickly—the human looked a bit jumpy. Probably just a civilian. "I am here to help, I took care of all the mercs out there." The man slowly lowered his gun. "Is Mordin Solus inside?"

"Yes," replied the man, a bit shakily. Shepard nodded in thanks and entered the clinic.

There were dozens of patients; some didn't look too bad while others looked pretty damn close to death. She couldn't spot any clinic workers. It was clear Mordin was understaffed.

"Jacob, Miranda, see what you can do to help. I’ll go and find the professor." They didn't have a lot of medical supplies with them but maybe they could help if anyone had more physical injuries.

She could hear someone giving medical orders from a room beyond and she followed the rather quick, yet broken speech. Sure enough she came into a room where a Salarian scientist in what looked like white armor was working at a console.

He immediately turned at Shepard's entrance. She noted that one of his…horn things was broken and he had a long scar on his face. "Professor Mordin Solus?" she asked.

The Salarian looked at her for a moment.  "Don't recognize you from area. Too well armed to be refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect." He turned away now and began typing on a console. "Here for something else? Vorcha? Crew to clean them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom not a cause."

 The Salarian had started talking faster now and Shepard was certain he wasn't even talking to her anymore. "The plague, investigating possible use as bioweapon? Too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers not scientists."

He began furiously working on his omni-tool and began rambling once more. Shepard didn't let him continue. It was clear he was thinking out loud now and thinking way too fast for her to even follow anymore.

"Relax Mordin," she said, holding up her hand and stepping forward to get his attention. "Calm down before your head explodes. My name is Commander Shepard and I’m here to get your help for a very important mission."

"Mission? What mission? No. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?" Shepard stifled her laugh; she actually found the Salarian’s quick and fractured speech amusing.

"Ever heard of Cerberus?" Mordin returned to working on his console before he answered.

"Crossed paths on occasion. Thought they only worked with humans. Why request Salarian aid?" By the tone his voice had taken she assumed the Salarian hadn't had good experiences with the organization. Few people probably had, especially aliens.

"We’re on a mission to take down the Collectors. I need the best on my team and from the information I have on you, you’re the smartest Salarian around and I need you to develop a countermeasure to help me fight against them." She saw no reason to lie to Mordin. He deserved to know exactly what she wanted and what he would be up against.

"Collectors? Interesting. Plague in slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar."

"Well that is something I can work with. So will you help me?" Again she couldn't help but think of Revan.

Dammit she wasn't even going to bother with this internal argument anymore. She didn't trust Revan because of her powers. She didn't care about the woman’s motives that much. Shepard was desperate and did need all the help she could get.

It seemed she would be walking into hell with a crew she couldn't trust. They were highly trained however. She would have to make it work. Shit she should have just come clean from the very beginning with Revan.

But how could she? How could she turn someone away, how could she treat them the way people had once treated her? Dammit she really was a hypocrite.

"Can’t. Not yet. Must stop plague first. Already have a cure. Need to distribute to environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."

Shepard nodded. She wasn't about to leave here without curing the plague anyway. And she certainly had no qualms about killing the bloodpack assholes.

"I’ll distribute the cure and handle the Vorcha." Almost the second she finished speaking the lights went out and emergency lighting kicked in, bathing the room in a red glow. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"Vorcha have shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates." There was no way in hell she was going to let that happen, she was going to tear these fucking Vorcha apart.

"I’m on it," she answered, giving the Salarian a firm nod. He handed her the cure which uploaded into her medigel delivery systems.

"Also, one of my assistants. Daniel. Went into Vorcha territory looking for victims. Haven't heard from him."

"I’ll keep an eye out for him."

Mordin nodded and Shepard quickly left the room and spoke into her com.

"Miranda, Jacob lets get moving. Vorcha are trying to kill everyone in the district. Double time to the environmental controls!" She would not let this happen.

Shepard did a quick check of her weapons to make sure all her thermal clips were fresh and ready to go. A quick glance to her companions signaled they were ready. Readying her shotgun Shepard opened the door and quickly stormed inside. Almost immediately the Vorcha across the room turned and one of them began speaking in his harsh voice.

"Too late! We poison—" Shepard didn't let him finish, she hated these stupid rants. Activating her biotics she slammed into the speaker, throwing him back to slam into his two comrades. Three quick blasts from her shotgun easily dispatched them.

Miranda ran ahead to the large control console while Jacob began firing at Vorcha mercs on the walkways below. Shepard took cover at the balcony as fire sprayed across her position.

"Shepard you have to activate each of the environmental fan controls located on either side of the room. Inject the cure into the consoles and the plague will be cured," spoke EDI.

Shepard turned towards where Miranda was holding off the Vorcha on the left side.

"Miranda, Jacob. Hold the reinforcements up here, I’ll take the right side first." She got two acknowledgements.

Wasting no time she stood up from her cover, feeling the rush of her biotic field she slammed into the group of Vorcha below her. Killing one instantly she shot a second with her shotgun. The merc cried out as he died, the plasma burning through his body.

Her barriers flashed as two nearby mercs began firing on her; it took two seconds for her to shoot each of them in the chest. The doors to the fan room opened and two more Vorcha charged out, one forced her into cover with automatic fire.

Shepard dived behind the pillar, her half charged barriers barely holding. It wouldn't have been bad but when she spun out from the cover flames washed over her entire body. She could feel the heat in her suit building as both her barriers and armor struggled to protect her from the flames. She could feel sweat beginning to pour down her face. She couldn't see through the mass of flames that engulfed her.

Gritting her teeth as the heat mounted, and feeling the skin on her arm begin to burn, Shepard rolled to the side, exiting the flames for a brief second, but that was all she needed. She immediately shot the flamethrower wielding Vorcha in the face, one of the three plasma shots striking the tank over the mercs shoulder, instantly detonating it.

Shepard was sprayed with the blood and bones of the now very dead Vorcha. She wasted no time in shooting his now wounded comrade. She could hear her squadmates fighting behind her so she wasted no time in running to the fan control and injecting the cure.

"Reinforcements!" called Miranda over the com.

"On my way," replied Shepard quickly, bolting from the room.

Jacob and Miranda were taking cover behind the two pillars that guarded the ramp down. Vorcha above fired at them with rocket launchers while the ones below poured automatic fire into them while they moved closer.

"Focus fire on those launchers!" Shepard ordered running towards her comrades. She fired two rounds with her shotgun before her clip ran out. Cursing she slung it behind her waist with one hand while her other grabbed the mattock from her back.

Miranda dropped one of the rocket launchers with a burst to the head before being forced back into cover. Shepard stumbled as a rocket went off just far enough away to avoid harming her.

"Krogan!" yelled Jacob. Shepard swore explosively as she looked around the corner and saw the massive red armored shape moving towards them. Only one thing to do.

"Miranda! Swap!" The brunette looked at her then at the same time they tossed their weapons at the other. Shepard caught the SMG and quickly swapped in a fresh thermal clip. She needed the faster rate of fire right now.

"Covering fire!" she hollered. Instantly her squadmates began suppressing the mercs. Miranda dropped the last rocket launcher while Jacob fired at those below. Shepard rose from cover and activated her charge.

Slamming into a Krogan was like slamming into a brick wall. Even with her above average strength charge it was still a very jarring experience. Her vision swam as she slammed into the mound of flesh and metal.

The Krogan was incredibly surprised as he was thrown to the ground, which was lucky because it made him hesitate long enough for Shepard's head to stop spinning as she unloaded half the clip into the bastard’s face.

She didn't have time to celebrate her victory as she staggered back when bullets slammed into her barriers. They quickly sparked and died and she let out a sharp cry of pain as a bullet passed between her armor and sunk into her shoulder. Hot blood began running down her shoulder.

Her instincts took over and she immediately dived for cover, spraying fire towards the mercs as she did. Gritting her teeth Shepard reloaded. Her armor systems had stopped the bleeding but it still stung like hell.

She saw the glow of biotics as both Jacob and Miranda tossed their attacks in unison. Understanding the opportunity she came from cover and fired at the weakened and dazed enemies. This time she had seen the flamethrower wielding asshole and sent several rounds into his tank, blowing it up and killing the remainder of his comrades.

"Clear!" called both her companions. Shepard quickly ran into the fan room and inserted the cure. They had done it. A smile lit up her face as EDI confirmed that it was working.

All she had been able to focus on lately was how she had fucked up recently, like with Revan, or how she had messed up in the past. She knew it wouldn't last but right now she let this win feel good.

* * *

 

Revan stared at the screen and took in all the information. After roughly six hours of non-stop research her curiosity about one subject had gotten the better of her.

As much as Shepard pissed her off and as much as she dredged things up Revan would rather forget, she had to admit the redhead was…impressive. She had been an orphan on the planet earth, growing up on the streets with absolutely no family whatsoever or anyone that even cared about her.

She enlisted at eighteen and apparently scored phenomenally in every single thing that her instructors threw at her. One report had even said that she had actually broken the scale they used to measure biotic powers when she had been tested on her ability called a "biotic charge."

The commander had a flawless career throughout her life. She had received several commendations during what was called The Skyllian Blitz. She had singlehandedly held the line against the massive raider and slaver forces attacking the planet. Revan had found dozens of accounts from officers and fellow soldiers regarding the Commander’s heroism. She was idolized. She was a hero.

Later she had saved a human colony from being completely destroyed. Then she had proven who was behind the attack, and become the first human to join an elite force called the Spectres. She had trailed him across the galaxy until eventually this Saren had attacked the Citadel itself. She had followed him, killed the traitor, and then saved the council.

Her name was cheered in the streets and humanity looked up to her as an example for all. Even some of the alien races had good things to say about her. She was a hero—Revan could not deny that.

She was strong in her convictions, never wavering or faltering in what she believed in, nor had she ever compromised herself. Revan could not find a single (credible) report where the commander had done something that went against her moral system.

Revan had watched several interviews with the redhead and no matter what deceitful or dickish tactics the reporters used, Shepard never wavered. Even when the council publicly denied the existence of the Reapers, denied the commander herself, she did not take matters into her own hands. She simply argued against them, vowed to find proof. She tried to make people listen and yet she was stonewalled at every turn.

That last bit Revan saw as pointless. If it was her, she would have done away with this useless council. She would have MADE people see what the true threat was. Sometimes you couldn't give them a choice. Yes, some people may hate you for it, but they would thank you for it later on. You would always make enemies doing what was right.

The commander needed to tell the rules and regulations to go to hell and simply do what was necessary. There needed to be no regard or concern for what others perceived as right or wrong. If she had really wanted to then the commander could have used her influence and position to eliminate the opposition she faced and further her own support base.

She also could have reinforced the idea of a threat. If people were not willing to believe about the Reapers then she could have created another, more believable threat, such as these Geth. They were a threat that could understand. She could have built up forces against them but instead held them back for the Reapers.

But the commander had done none of that. She had argued her case; she had sworn to find proof. But that was all. Revan knew it was because her moral code prevented her from simply forcing others to accept the threat that faced them, or using deceit or other underhanded means to secure her goal. She should have not given them a choice! Dammit she should have—it didn't matter. She hadn't done anything and she wouldn't.

She would go her own way to protect others, like now. She was operating outside official channels but Revan knew she would still respect the chain. If they tried to arrest her she wouldn't stop them, like Revan had. Oh the commander would call them fools but she would not fight against the system she had fought for all her life, and always would fight for.

No, she was not Revan; she would stick by her morals. She would not accept any compromise to who she was or how she did things, no matter what. Revan’s logical mind called the commander a fool. She could think of a thousand reasons why the redhead would need to change. She couldn't defend this galaxy if she didn't. But Revan knew that would not happen. She knew because Meetra never would either.

She felt a physical pain in her chest as that perfect face flashed in her mind. She quickly pushed the image away before she broke down. Instead she focused on the mission.

She had learned a fair bit of information, and while she would need more time it had become clear what she needed to do right now. She had only one path.

Powering off the terminal, Revan rose from the sofa and pushed the coffee table away, clearing a space in front of the sofa. Revan sat down on the floor, crossing her knees. She closed her eyes and reached out into the force, letting it wash over her body and mind.

It had been a long time since she had been unsure of what to do. It was a foreign feeling now and she had no clue of how to deal with it. It had been troubling her for some time, not having a purpose. She knew that fighting the Reapers was the right thing to do. If she was truly stuck here, then she would have to defend this galaxy. But how would she do that? She hoped the force would show her.


	6. New Allies, Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible trigger warning, hints of PTSD are mentioned in this chapter.

Shepard had a faint grin on her face as she left the lab. She didn't know why she found Mordin so damn entertaining, but she did. He was certainly brilliant, and she had confidence that he could come up with a countermeasure to the collectors.

She stretched out her shoulder as she walked. It was still a bit sore but the wound had healed up nicely. Chakwas had also seen to the burn on her arm, and she couldn't even feel it anymore.

Her path took her into the armory. She expected to see Jacob but surprisingly Miranda was there as well. They were both standing over a work bench, but their bodies blocked her view from their work. She moved up beside Miranda to get a better look.

"What are you doing?" she asked, peering at the collection of items sprawled across the large table. There were bits of what looked like armor in a deep forest green. She could pick out a chest piece, boots, gloves and a T-visored helmet…it looked an awful lot like—

"Is this Revan's stuff?" she blurted out before Miranda could answer.

"She left without taking it so we’re running tests," explained the raven-haired woman with a shrug.

Damn. Shepard had completely forgotten about the belongings they had retrieved from the crashed shuttle. She felt bad about keeping them now, but also had no idea how to find Revan to give them back.

"Did you learn anything interesting?" she asked with a sigh. God she felt like an even bigger bitch now.

"We ran a preliminary analysis of most of the items. The armor," Miranda grabbed the green helmet, "is made of a substance we cannot identify, but our tests suggest that it is more durable than anything in our known galaxy. It also has an advanced computer of unknown origins to power its HUD."

Next Miranda grabbed a long three-sided dagger from the table. The blade was dark grey and the pommel was white. It looked like a well-used weapon, covered in scratches and nicks, but it didn't look like any real damage had been done to the blade.

"This seems to be made of the same material as the armor, thus making it very strong." To prove her point, Miranda slammed the dagger down and it stabbed through the table to stick out of the bottom. Shepard's eyes widened slightly. Damn that thing could be helpful against a Krogan…

"Now as for these," Miranda pointed to another set of gauntlets—these seemed to be thicker than the others, they were still colored green but had several spikes forming along the knuckles and back hand plates. All in all they looked pretty mean.

"We don't actually know what they do. They are emitting some kind of energy source, yet every time we put them on they just...turn off," said Jacob. "They’re made of the same material, but we can't explain why they are thicker and look so different. Could just be simple aesthetics I suppose."

Shepard stared at the items. It was clear these items would belong to a warrior. Someone who was no stranger to battle, and that seemed to fit Revan’s persona. Although those robes she wore seemed to be more…ceremonial, or something along those lines.

"We’re going to try and synthesize these materials. If we could, then we could make armor of vastly superior quality, never mind if we could make enough to make a cruiser out of this," explained Jacob

"Well just don't destroy any of it," said Shepard. Maybe she would try and track Revan down to at least give her back her stuff; they didn't need to keep it from her. Miranda and Jacob could run their tests and hopefully give them an edge over the Collectors.

"Too bad we don't have Revan's input," Miranda muttered as Shepard reached the door. Shepard just shook her head and headed to her cabin. She wasn't going to even bother responding to that. It had been a long few days and it seemed like she hadn't even had a single moment of down time lately.

Shepard rode the elevator up to her cabin. She let out a yawn as she stretched. She still hadn't changed out of her armor from the mission, and a shower sounded really good right about now. With practiced movements Shepard quickly removed her armor and threw it onto the sofa where she could clean it later.

Peeling off the black undersuit she turned on the water to let it warm up while she removed the rest of her clothes. Steam was already filling the bathroom by the time she had gotten out of all her clothes, and when she was about to step into the water she caught her reflection in the mirror.

Her eyes immediately came to rest on the glowing orange scars that were scattered across her body. Two small ones laced up her left leg with one on her right. Her stomach was littered with scars; her fingers absently ran along the long scar on her waist line. Surprisingly the scars did not hurt.

Her fingers moved along the glowing lines covering her stomach, the center of her chest, between her breasts, along her collar bone, her forearms. Then her fingers finally touched the scars on her face. One ran along the left side of her jawline, and at the start and the end of the scar was another that ran horizontal up her face to connect with a second that curved along her face, half the length of the bottom scar. A final one stretched across her forehead, just above her right eyebrow and was about the same length.

Machines, technology, that's what it was. All the cybernetic implants Cerberus had shoved into her body to bring her back from death. She had been dead, she was dead— she fucking remembered dying! That was fucked up!

She could remember chocking for air. She remembered her vision going dark and feeling her entire god damn body die! So why was she standing here?

Every time she saw these scars it just reminded her that she was not supposed to be here. Her being alive was wrong. Fuck she felt wrong. She could feel the machinery inside of her; she could hear it whirring around! Of course Chakwas and Miranda had told her that was impossible.

Shepard slammed a glowing blue fist into the mirror. It shattered into a thousand pieces, obliterating the image of the machine that had been staring at her.

Pain shot through her hand as glass embedded itself in her skin; she could feel the blood running down her hand. Her shoulders were heaving; her mind was a storm of emotions. Dammit what was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just— fuck why was everything so fucked up? She staggered back, hitting the wall where she fell to the ground, only vaguely aware of the water running over her.

Her whole body was shaking as everything washed over her at once and she could not stem the tide.

What had happened to her? Why was she so unsure of everything she was doing? Why was she so damn unsure of herself? She should not be here, that was why. How could anyone expect her to stop the Collectors when she had already suffered the greatest failure?

She had died. She let her ship be destroyed, she let her crew be killed, and then she had allowed herself to die. How could she keep fighting after that? Fuck she didn't even know what she was thinking anymore. Her mind was broken; she couldn't control what she was thinking anymore. It was probably all because she had become some kind of fucked up machine and her stupid brain couldn't cope. Why was this happening? Dammit she needed to get a hold of herself!

This was bullshit, why the hell was she sitting on the floor whining about her life? It didn't matter, it never had. Shit, she had already died so none of this mattered. If she was some kind of machine now then she would do what she had been built for. She was going to kick the living hell out of the Collectors, and then the Reapers!

Her feelings did not matter anymore—so what if she was a machine. At least she could serve a purpose; at least she could still save people. How she felt didn't matter. It didn't matter to anyone here, and it didn't matter to her. Everyone just wanted her to take out the Collectors, to build a team of random mercenaries and scientists. Fine, that is what she would do. She would do what she was supposed to do, because what else did a machine have?

* * *

 

Goddamn he was tired of this place. Zaeed threw back his drink and quickly ordered another one. Sure there were lots of contracts to be had, but most of them offered no challenge at all. Besides, he didn't care about any contracts apart from the one that led him to Vido.

That Illusive Man had also given him so much money for working with Shepard that he would never have to work again. He was looking forward to wrapping everything up—maybe he would finally retire. Although whenever he thought about that it sounded boring as shit.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist, probably the only non-digital watch left in the galaxy. He never even bothered changing it to the local time; there were clocks everywhere now so it wasn't hard to find out. His watch told him it was just after six back home.

The watch was old and had seen its share of battlefields but he loved the damn thing. Sitting in the dead of silence he could sometimes hear it ticking and it always sent a shiver up his spine—he loved it. Almost as much as Jessie.

Throwing back his second drink he glanced around the bar. Where the hell was Shepard anyway? They were supposed to meet today; he hoped she wasn't going to be late. This shitty music along with that Asari bitch glaring at him was getting annoying.

Aria had been pissed at him ever since he turned down that job to take out Archangel. She had wanted the vigilante eliminated before he caused too many problems. Of course, he had been killing a shit load of blue suns so Zaeed had felt no need to put an end to the vigilante.

Now all the gangs had teamed up and were practically waging a full-scale war against the man, and it was causing problems for the queen bitch of Omega. She wanted to keep the gangs under her thumb, but to do that you needed respect. Some vigilante running around killing a bunch of those mercs didn't exactly look good.

Her only choice had been to mount Archangel’s head at the doors to Afterlife. But now word had gotten out that the merc groups were going after him, they had decided to deal with it on their own. So it wouldn't be surprising if they decided to deal with another of their problems on their own.

He looked up to Aria and lifted his drink to her, a grin on his face. She flipped him off and Zaeed just laughed as he threw back the drink. It's a good thing she was a good combination of sexy and dangerous as hell, or else he wouldn't put up with her shit.

"Zaeed Massani?" He quickly turned at the voice, impressed that someone had actually pronounced his name right. Speaking of the perfect combination of sexy and dangerous…

The two women who stood before him were definitely a fine example of drop dead gorgeous. The first one was a tall brunette in black and gold armor; she had curves in all the right places, bloody hell she put all the dancers in here to shame. Her ice blue eyes, although nice to look at, were hard, and that combined with the way she carried herself told anyone who could read the signs thatshe was not to be fucked with.

The second woman was like her companion only amplified by about a hundred, especially in the "don't fuck with me or I will tear your throat out" department. Her flame red hair was tied up neatly in the back, likely to keep it out of her eyes and so she could still easily wear her helmet that was strapped to her waist. Her stern expression, the bloody glowing scars on her face, and her hard emerald eyes only added to her intense appearance.

As much fun as soft women could be, there was something about a woman who could kill you six different ways that just made them much more alluring. The sex was usually way better too. Although from the look he was getting it was unlikely that anyone was getting in the red headed woman's pants.

"Yeah?" he asked, remembering his voice. He assumed this must be Shepard. After everything he had heard about her she definitely fit his expectations.

"I’m Commander Shepard, and I’m here to pick you up to come along for our mission."

"Yeah heard about your little suicide run." The Illusive Man had been pretty forthcoming about both the mission and their chances. "Lucky your boss can move a hell of a lot of credits." If they lived through this mission then he could retire in a life of luxury, but he was still undecided on that though.

"The Illusive Man is not my boss. You accept this mission then you’re working directly for me, not Cerberus. You’ll be under my command, you will follow my orders. Understood?" Her tone was cold and hard. It was obvious she was serious and would not accept any answer but a yes. He had to repress a grin before he answered; he was liking this girl already.

"Works for me Shepard. Let's go be big goddamn heroes."

"Welcome aboard then. Sorry, no time for orientation, we just got word that another person we are looking for is in deep shit." Shepard gestured for him to follow and he fell in a step behind her, alongside the brunette

"Never did catch your name sweet heart," he said to her. One look at her and it was obvious she wasn't one for flirting, so naturally he couldn't resist. He always had liked a challenge.

"Miranda Lawson. Shepards XO," the woman replied in a slight Australian accent. Well someone else from the mother land. Her tone was just as cold as Shepard’s though—this would certainly be fun.

"Ever heard of Archangel?" asked Shepard. He quickly looked back to her, not failing to notice that even with that bulky black and red armor she had a nice ass.

"Yeah, got offered a contract to take him down but never saw the point. We both want the same thing, a lot of mercenaries dead."

"Well apparently he is in over his head right now; all the local gangs are closing in to take him down so we have to go pull his ass out of the fire."

He saw now that she was walking towards the recruiting center that the blue suns had just set up to get any extra guns they could to help deal with Archangel. Apparently he wasn't going down without a fight.

It would be kind of nice to meet this guy; after all he was pissing off the blue suns. Plus he would probably get to kill his fair share extracting him. Also he was going to get a chance to see Shepard in action, which was sure to be a treat. Looks like today was going to be his lucky day.

* * *

 

A Turian sniper who hated mercenaries and lowlifes. Her mind was only going to one place. She was trying to not get her hopes up but she couldn't help it. _Garrus_. She couldn't even do more than whisper his name in her head. The single greatest friend she had, could it really be him? God she…she couldn't even imagine. _No! Stop being stupid, the odds of it being him are so low! Just wait and see. Stupid girl._

She walked past the freelancers and towards the gunship, or rather towards the Batarian working on it. Trying to calm herself she focused on the mission.

"You Cathka?" she asked. He put down his tool and looked at her

"Huh, you at least look like you can handle yourself. Not like the rest of these freelancer shits." He lit a cigarette and leaned against his large tool chest.

"So what's the plan?" She really wasn't in the mood for chit chat, after all she was going to be killing these bastards pretty soon.

"Pretty simple. You and the rest of the freelancers go out, draw fire while the second team moves in. They’ll plant bombs around the complex as a backup if they can't take out Archangel personally."

So they would have to hurry, cut right through the freelancers and get into the compound to take out the second team before they could get those bombs set up. Easy. Shepard glanced over to the gunship

"What about that?" It would be best if they could take that out of action before it even took off.

"I still have some repairs to make on it, then I am sure Tarak will take it up if Archangel is still kicking after round one." So he was the mechanic… the Batarian turned and began listening to his com. "Okay team two is in position. First team engage!"

Shepard turned to watch as the freelancers began firing towards the building and leaping over the barricade. Good of time as any. She faced the Batarian as he turned around and began working again.

Shepard pulled the silver bladed knife from the sheath on her left thigh. In two strides she came up behind the Batarian. Clamping her free hand over his mouth she slammed the dagger into his throat. He kicked and jerked as she ripped the blade across his throat, and blood sprayed out as she severed the artery and his windpipe. She let the body fall to the floor where it twitched a few times before finally falling completely still. But she didn't stay long enough to see.

Turning around she sheathed the knife, noting the almost approving look Zaeed was giving her. They moved quickly to the barricade. Shepard pulled her shotgun free and leapt over the metal and landed on the bridge. It was littered with corpses, and more freelancers tried to move across.

Shepard saw one of the freelancers drop, blood and bone exploding out the back of his skull. Her eyes immediately darted up towards the balcony where the shot had come from; even from here she could see it was a Turian, one with a sniper rifle and blue armor. She watched as his scope shifted, she knew he was aiming at her, she could feel it.

But he did not fire; she locked eyes with him, even though he was wearing a helmet. He lowered the weapon for a second and their gazes held. It was him. It had to be! She knew it was! She could feel it, even with the helmet she could feel the way he was looking at her. Dammit she could see his blue eyes already! He staggered as bullets hit his shields and he turned and fired back into the building.

A massive surge of energy overcame it. _GARRUS!_ She screamed the name in her mind now. It was him! She activated her biotics and shot across the bridge to slam into a group of mercs near the main door. The one she connected with was thrown into the wall where he broke his neck. Shepard killed the remaining two in the span of two seconds before immediately sprinting inside. Zaeed and Miranda could mop up. She had to get to him!

One merc was setting up a bomb; he looked up as she ran in the building. Without breaking her stride Shepard shot him in the face before she even reached the stairs. Another merc began firing on her from up top. She took the hits and fired two rounds with her shotgun; one connected and killed the merc.

Her insane run carried her up the stairs. She wasn't even thinking about anything other than him right now. She needed to get to him. She would kill every last one of these fuckers to do it!

She reached the top of the stairs where two mercs were pressed up against the door frame, firing inside at Arch—at Garrus. The machine in her tried to make her focus but dammit not even the machines inside her could stop her now!

She fired her weapon but it was empty, her crazy mind forgetting to reload. Without stopping she kept running at the mercs, both of whom had noticed her. She reached the first and she threw all of her physical and biotic strength into the punch. It passed through the man's barriers and smashed clean through his armor. She felt her hand enter his insides, and she grabbed his heart and physically tore it out. This fucker had tried to hurt Garrus!

She pulled her hand free and turned to the next merc. Her eyes were wide at what she had seen but she still brought her weapon up. Shepard stepped towards her, her mind still a bloodlust, demanding she kill everyone who tried to hurt Garrus. She smashed the weapon aside as the merc failed to maneuver it in time. Slamming a fist into the woman's face she grabbed her by the collar and bashed her head into the door frame…dammit she didn't know how many times but eventually the merc stopped struggling and she threw her over the railing to the room below.

Shepard quickly moved into the room where she stood face to helmet with the blue armored Turian. He was looking right at her, and she looked back at him. The savagery that overcame her was suddenly gone and a new focus entered her mind.

"Garrus?" she whispered. Her voice almost failed her as she was suddenly aware that she might be wrong. He reached up and pulled free his helmet. Shepard almost collapsed as her legs began to shake. The room started to spin but miraculously he didn't—she could still focus on him perfectly. He looked…god it was him!

"Shepard," he said in that completely unique voice of his. She couldn't contain herself any longer, and apparently neither could he. They both bolted across the room, colliding in the center in a massive embrace. His arms went around her waist and under her arms. He lifted her from the floor but she didn't care as she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged as tightly as she could.

It was as if suddenly everything washed away. All the shit she had gone through, all the doubt, the self-hatred, it was all gone now. He was here. God nothing else mattered.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered, hugging her tighter.

"It's a long story." She couldn't get into that now, it would just bring up too much shit. She just wanted to be happy for a few seconds. "But I’m here now."

"Shepard we have finished up down here, where are you?" Miranda's voice came over her com. Dammit.

"Upstairs on the balcony," she replied, holding in her sigh. Dammit couldn't she just have this one thing? Garrus set her back down and they released their embrace. She looked up at Garrus and couldn't help but smile, at least he was here.

"How are you doing?" she asked, hearing her companions coming up the stairs.

"Been better, but a hell of a lot better seeing you," he replied. His mandibles fluttered slightly and she knew that was his attempt to smile. His voice sounded so tired though. She could tell just by his tone that he was tired.

"I’ll expect an explanation later," she said in her commander tone, "but for now we need to get you out of here." . She turned as Zaeed and Miranda entered the room.

"Miranda, Zaeed, this is Garrus, or Archangel as you better know him." She gestured to her companions.

"Bloody nice to meet you," grunted Zaeed. "I admire your work."

"Thanks," chuckled Garrus. "But it has gotten me into a bit of trouble. I don't think it's going to be very easy getting out of here."

"Well then we kill every fucker who gets in the way," growled Shepard. She was not going to let a bunch of pathetic mercenaries stand in her way now. She was getting Garrus out of here; she was getting him to safety.

"Glad to see you haven't changed," Garrus said with a chuckle. "We can let them throw themselves at us again, whittle there numbers down then break out." It was a good plan. She nodded to Garrus who reloaded his rifle and she knew he was grinning, which caused her to grin back.

 "Let's do what we do best."

* * *

 

Meditation was something that one could easily lose themselves in, and the deep meditative state that Revan was in meant she had no way of knowing how long she had been sitting on the dirty floor of the rented apartment.

She had been able to simply lose herself in the force, its neutral state allowing her to easily get lost in its flow. During her entire meditation she had been able to sense…something, a looming darkness that was simply waiting, just beyond the edges of her senses.

She had been trying to seek its origins, to find what it was. She instantly thought that it was the Reapers that the Commander had spoken of. If she had been speaking the truth then Revan needed to know. She needed to find the truth for herself.

Her mind was reaching out to the edges of this galaxy; she could feel the presence growing stronger. This darkness was nothing like the Sith, not a vortex of anger and hatred. Instead it was cold and completely devoid of any kind of passion. It almost felt mechanic. In fact it almost totally felt machine, but there was still a hint of something…more.

She reached further, pushing her mind even closer to the darkness. She was almost there, and it was getting stronger, larger, more numerous. Revan almost recoiled…there were thousands- millions—

She was suddenly sucked forward, losing all control as the force seized total control and she could do nothing but watch and feel.

_Their numbers were beyond counting. They were resolute in their purpose, set on their course, and there would be no swaying them. Soon they would be unleashed and the entire galaxy would tremble at their coming._

_Massive shapes loomed over worlds; they obliterated entire armies that stood before them. Then the worlds would burn. The inhabitants were twisted into new horrible creations that would only add to the destruction and chaos._

_Entire worlds died, entire sectors. Trillions upon trillions of souls would perish. Nearly all life would be extinguished_ — Revan cried out, falling back on the floor as she felt every death, every soul on every world, she felt them all die. Pain washed through her entire body. Fire scorched through her veins and she could not stop it—

_With no remorse, pity, or hesitation the beings exterminated all life that they had come to cleanse. The galaxy would lie stripped of nearly all life. Only rubble and ruins would remain. Then the beings would disappear, with the intent to return again to begin the cycle once more—_

The vision shifted suddenly and the pain began to subside. Her body was slick with sweat and she couldn't feel anything anymore but the vision did not let go.

_The cavern was massive; the walls had a honeycomb pattern to them. A harsh and unnatural screech filled the air. A gigantic shape was in its death throes. It was a twisted metal shape of a human skeleton. It's glowing orange eyes seemed to be glaring down at the platform where three figures were firing weapons._

_The red headed woman fired her weapon into its glowing eye_ —Shepard!— _the creature shrieked again as its power faded and it began to collapse into the cavern. Two aliens accompanied her.One was massive and wore black and orange armor while the second was tall and wore blue armor._

_The aliens congratulated each other and the commander. But it was cut short as a skeletal hand grabbed the edge of the platform and began tearing it away. The commander shouted a curse and began firing at the creature as her companions climbed to safety; the blue armored alien had a hand on her back and pulled her with him._

_A final mighty tear caused the platform to collapse and smash into another beside it. The creature fell down the chasm with a screech. The aliens were thrown to the side and the blue armored one lost his grip on the commander. She fell, her body skidding along the platform she was headed right to the edge and her hands found no purchase to stop herself._

_The blue armored alien screamed her name and jumped down after her. The commander skidded off the edge of the platform; her hand grabbed the edge, barely. The alien was almost to her, but he was not quick enough._

_She lost her grip and fell down into the darkness. The alien cried her name and still tried to grab for her. The commander made no sound as she fell, no final cry. She was simply silent as she disappeared into the darkness._

Once more the vision shifted—

 _The commander stood in a room filled with light. Behind her was a planet and above it hundreds of ships were engaged in battle with their monstrous foe—_ another shift— _the darkness was gone, it was replaced with something…different. The battle had stopped. All the death and destruction had ceased in a single moment._

_The commander was no longer standing in the room. She was gone, but…she wasn't gone. She could still feel her presence—it was changed, but it was still there._

The visions finally stopped and Revan was snapped back into her own body. She gasped for air as she suddenly became aware of her body's needs. She slowly pulled herself up from the floor and leaned against the sofa.

Her mind was racing to process everything that happened. Without a doubt that was the most intense vision she had ever experienced. It should have taken her time to figure it out but the force had shown her for a reason and she knew it was guiding her in her understanding.

The Reapers would carry out their mission; they would kill trillions of souls. Yet Revan also knew, she had seen it! Shepard could stop it. Revan didn't know how, hell she didn't even know why it was her. But it was. She could feel it.

But she had also seen Shepard die. She had seen it happen and she had seen what would come to pass if she did. But it was not written in stone. The force had shown her two futures, but neither was guaranteed—the future was always in motion.

Revan glared at her hands. Dammit! Why did it have to be her, the woman who infuriated and terrified her because of who she was a reminder of? Why was it her!

Revan sighed as she leaned her head back. The force had shown her this for a reason. She knew what she had to do; there was only one course of action if she didn't want to see this galaxy awash in death.

Looking back on it Revan would later laugh at this moment. Just as she realized what she had to do she got the sudden sense of impending danger. She immediately jumped to her feet, lightsabers in hand. It only took her a second to realize though that it was not her in danger.

Reaching out it was clear the force was still guiding Revan because she recognized the presence of who was actually in danger. It was the commander. She knew what she needed to do.

Revan put on her helmet, lifted her hood, and clipped her lightsabers back to their resting places. The last item was newly purchased. After some research into the weaponry of this galaxy she had purchased a pistol called a Carnifex. Both the information she had read on it and the test the dealer had allowed her to perform showed the weapon had promise. She strapped it on the back of her waist to the magnetic clips on her belt.

She quickly wiped the terminal then left it in the room as she exited the apartment. She moved quickly through the streets as the force led her to the commander. She had to save her; it was clear that for now this was Revan’s purpose here. If the commander died then the galaxy would follow.

* * *

 

"God dammit!" growled Shepard as she ducked behind the pillar to avoid the torrent of bullets that slammed into it where she had been standing a second before. Why couldn't these mercenaries be stupid and just come at them in waves or some bullshit like that?

After they realized that the first attack had failed the mercenary groups had launched a single massive attack on the compound. Freelancers, Eclipse mercenaries, and their mechs had stormed over the barricades and charged the bridge. Meanwhile the Blood Pack had dug tunnels under the compound and were flooding through them.

Shepard spun from the pillar and fired a shotgun blast into an eclipse merc’s chest, destroying his barriers and killing him instantly. She saw another drop with a single shot through their head. Garrus was still above on the balcony while she had taken position near the front door.

"Miranda what's your situation?" she yelled into her com as return fire forced her back into cover.

"Commander we cannot hold this position, there are just too many." Miranda's voice was garbled by gunfire and small explosions. She was in the tunnels with Zaeed trying to hold the Blood Pack.

"Copy." She fired two blasts at the advancing mercs, killing one and grazing the second. "Once the bombs are primed pull back and detonate!" They had re-purposed the bombs the mercenaries had planted to destroy the entrance to the compound from the basement.

"Affirmative, Miranda out." The com went silent and Shepard reloaded her weapon.

"Garrus the tunnels are falling, team two is falling back."

"Copy, we got more Eclipse coming over!"

Shepard cursed violently as she moved from cover and began firing at the mercs. This was getting out of hand way too quickly. Garrus had been explaining that the mercs had been attacking in waves when they had launched their massive assault.

She ducked back in cover to reload. Fuck they weren't getting out of this without help.

"Normandy this is Shepard, come in!"

"Hey Shepard, having fun?" asked Joker with a chuckle.

"Joker we need fire support ASAP!" she bellowed firing at the mercenaries again.

"Copy that Commander, dispatching the Kodiaks now. ETA five minutes." Shepard just nodded and reloaded. An explosion drew her attention to the interior of the building

"Commander the entrance to the tunnels has been sealed but it won't take them long to either find a way around or blow through it," reported Miranda

"Copy, I need you both here with me at the entrance!" As if on cue her thermal clip ran dry and return fire smashed into her. Shepard staggered back as her barriers failed and she could feel two bullets enter her body, one in the thigh and a second in her side. She snarled and dropped behind cover.

Her armor systems quickly applied medi-gel to the wounds, stemming the bleeding. Zaeed came through the door firing rapid bursts from his vindicator and Miranda was close behind, her SMG pouring fire onto the mercenaries.

"Need some help Shepard?" grunted Zaeed as he reloaded. She nodded her thanks to the grizzled mercenary and quickly got back to her feet, firing plasma bolts at these annoying ass mercs.

Just when she began to think everything would work out another surge of mechs poured over the barricades, and a second later Blue Suns mercenaries followed. They fired a well-coordinated torrent of fire towards them, forcing her and her two companions into cover.

"Just fuck off already!" she bellowed over the gunfire, blind firing her weapon in anger. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! She was failing all over again! GOD DAMMIT! Her shotgun ran dry—she threw it to the ground in anger and pulled free her mattock.

She needed to keep a clear head. If they could just hang on for a few more minutes then the air support would get here and everything—

"Shepard I spotted the Blood Pack heading over the barricade, guess they got fed up with the tunnels. They will be here any second," said Garrus. Fucking hell! The Blood Pack would just swarm them with sheer numbers! So she had failed.

"Or maybe not…" muttered Garrus. Shepard was about to voice her confusion at his words and tone but then it was answered for her. She looked past the mercenaries, and saw the area behind the barricades light up in a massive purple glow. Even over the gunfire she could hear people screaming. What the fuck was going on?

* * *

 

Revan watched as a dozen mercenaries writhed in pain as electricity coursed through their entire bodies. She continued the storm just long enough to kill the mercenaries. When they fell dead she bolted forward. Using the force to augment her speed she moved into a group of mercenaries coming to stop her attack.

They were not prepared for the sudden burst of speed and she was in the middle of them before even a shot was fired and now it was too late for them. In a heartbeat both shoto lightsabers were in her hands and with a flick of her thumbs that familiar snap-hiss sound of them igniting filled her ears and she grinned.

Revan slashed one blade across an alien's chest while the second severed another's head. Spinning on her heel she cut another in two at the waist and with a quick flip of the lightsaber, she plunged the second blade into a fourth’s chest.

Revan sensed the rifle butt coming at her head and leaned back to avoid it and sever the alien’s arms. The rifle dropped and it howled in pain. She quickly ended its suffering by removing its head.

The alien fell and Revan immediately launched herself into the air, avoiding the incoming fire she had sensed from her left. She used the force to augment her strength and launch herself much higher into the air than normal. Revan used the momentum of her jump to propel herself forward and then crash down into the three mercenaries who had fired on her.

She decapitated two simultaneously during her fall, and landing at a crouch she thrust her forward facing blade up through the last man’s chest. She pulled the blade free and turned. Revan could sense more mercenaries beyond the barricade in front of her. She sensed their confusion as to what was happening. They were currently trying to receive orders.

With a quick, well practiced motion, Revan returned one shoto saber to her side, replacing it with the lightsaber at her back. She looked at the barricade, jerking her head to the side, and a large portion of the barricade tore away, the metal screeching as it was torn apart. She threw the debris to the side and propelled herself through the hole into more of the foes.

The mercenaries fired on her as she ran but she had been prepared for it. Her new lightsaber was ignited and Revan moved forward in a blur, her body twisting and spinning, creating a blur of red as her lightsaber whip spun about her. The weapon moved too fast for a human eye to track—l it was merely a blur of red that turned aside the enemy fire. Most were disintegrated by the spinning barrier while others passed through too quickly and were merely turned into molten slag which bounced off her armor or burned small holes in her robes. No harm was done though and she was now in their midst.

She continued to spin, the whip no longer a barrier, but a blur of red death. She cut down five in an instant. A sixth fired at her point blank but she had sensed the action coming and had already rolled to the side by the time the trigger was pulled.

Coming up behind another mercenary she thrust her shoto lightsaber through the woman’s chest. Her companion tried to shoot Revan but she simply blocked the bullets with the mercenary’ss body.

With nothing more than a small jerk of her head, she snapped the mercenary’s neck with the force. Revan pulled the blade free and spun at the two mercenaries coming up to her right. With a flick of her wrist, her whip lashed out across one’s chest, burning through the inferior armour.

With merely another flick she redirected the whip to wrap around the second mercenaries throat. A strong tug pulled his head from his shoulders. Her head snapped forward to look past the final barricade and at the complex beyond, and her senses blared a warning through her mind—k she was hurt. Revan needed to get to her!

* * *

 

Shepard fired at the confused cluster of mercenaries. Clearly something was going on. It sounded like they were being attacked from the rear.

"Joker are the shuttles here yet?"

"Negative, two more minutes commander." So it wasn't them…

"Garrus what can you see?" He had the best vantage point right now.

"Someone is butchering—" he never finished as a loud explosion rocked the complex. Shepard spun and saw the massive shapes of Krogans emerging from the ruined entrance to the tunnels.

"Kill them all!" bellowed one of the Krogan, a pretty big bastard, even by their standards. Two of the other Krogan ran towards the stairs, towards Garrus!

"Hold them here!" she shouted to Zaeed and Miranda before activating her biotics and smashing into the rear Krogan. Their leader was already at the top of the stairs.

The Krogan she hit was knocked flat on his face. Fighting through her spinning vision she fired several rounds from her mattock into the back of the bastard’s head. The second Krogan turned to face her and Shepard wasted no time in emptying the rest of her clip into his face.

It wasn't enough to kill him but it did stagger him back. She threw her shoulder into the much larger alien, and it took all of her strength but she managed to knock him over the railing. She reloaded and sent another ten shots into the alien, finally killing him.

She could hear gunfire and shouts coming from the balcony and her mind entered the blood haze again. Garrus! She ran up the stairs as fast as she could. She saw the Krogan firing somewhere into the room she couldn't see, but he wasn't looking at her.

Activating her charge again she slammed into the Krogan but it only staggered him back. Holy hell! Even hitting Wrex hadn't hurt that much! Her vision was spotty and she almost felt like vomiting. This had been a mistake but she had abandoned all rational thought to save Garrus.

The Krogan recovered quicker than she did and smashed his head down onto hers. Shepard was thrown to the ground—now she really felt like throwing up. The Krogan laughed and said something should couldn't make out due to the ringing in her ears. But she didn't care. Shepard raised her rifle and fired without seeing at where the Krogan had been.

Her vision began to clear in time to see the Krogan bat her weapon away and wrap one massive hand around her throat. With his free hand he fired his shotgun at Garrus who she could faintly hear calling her name. She was quickly losing feeling through her body. She was dying again, and it felt exactly the same. Failure. She was a failure.

The last thing she saw were two bright flashes of red and then the Krogan seemed to fall apart in front of her.

Shepard gasped for air as she hit the ground. She was supposed to be dead, she had been dying. What the hell had— she looked up and saw a black and red figure standing above her. Two red…lasers? were in each hand. She looked up at the black and red mask they wore…Revan? The woman didn't say anything, merely looked at her for a moment and then leapt off the balcony.

Garrus was instantly over her. "Shepard!" he cried, looking for injuries.

"I’m fine," she croaked, pushing him away. That was Revan! She quickly rose. Ignoring her nausea, she ran towards the balcony and stumbled over the remains of the Krogan. She glanced down and saw he had been…god he had been cut into three pieces, across the middle of his head then the across his chest.

She quickly turned back to the balcony and looked down. The bridge was littered with corpses and destroyed mechs, and in the center was Revan. She was in the middle of three mercenaries, cutting them down with the lasers in her hand. Suddenly she thrust her hand out and two mercenaries who were taking up a firing position on her were blasted back by an invisible force and tumbled over the bridge.

When she looked back to Revan, the mercenaries she had been fighting were dead but she had not moved. She threw both her laser…sword…things. They spun through the air, one headed for a mercenary on the broken remains of the barricade, the second veering towards two more that were at the bottom of the barricade. Somehow they both flew directly towards their targets.

The laser swords cut down the three mercenaries and then sped back to Revan's hands. Shepard was struck still and speechless for the first time in her life. She had never seen anything like that in her life.

Shepard felt Garrus's presence at her side, and neither of them spoke for a moment. Revan turned to look at them. Before anything else happened there was a loud whirring noise that she recognized instantly. Gunship!

The aircraft shot up from below the bridge, guns trained on Revan. Shepard was about to yell out to her but a second later the armoured woman had raised her hand to the gunship and Shepard watched as it was crushed into a ball no bigger than her chest.

"So…I take it he’s on our side, right?" asked Garrus.

Shepard didn't answer him; she simply locked stares with the masked woman. She had been feeling terrible about turning Revan away the moment it happened, and now she had just single handily saved all their lives. Dammit now Shepard felt even worse. What the hell was she going to say to her now?

 


	7. A New Duty

Everyone was gathered on the bridge by the time the shuttles arrived. Shepard was the last to join them, along with Garrus. Miranda and Zaeed were both thanking Revan for her timely arrival, along with admiring her powers.

Shepard had deliberately put off going down there until the shuttles had arrived. She didn't know how she was going to handle this. She had turned Revan away for a terrible reason but the woman had seemed fine with leaving. Yet now she came back out of nowhere and saved her life. Revan had saved her entire squad’s life, no matter what her personal feelings. That meant something.

"So you know this guy?" asked Garrus as they walked towards the bridge. They were still out of earshot, and the incoming shuttles also helped.

"Girl, and yeah. It's kind of a long story."

"Well please tell me she’s on your crew, we could definitely use that kind of help. I’ve never seen anything like that! Dammit she turned that gunship into a paperweight!" Garrus sounded excited as he spoke, and it was clear that he was impressed by Revan. Hell, Shepard had been too. She had never seen anything like that in her life.

"Like I said it's a long story. She offered her help but…" she decided that explaining everything to Garrus could probably be a good thing, maybe he could help her decide what to do. "I turned her down."

"Why?" Garrus looked at her, his eyes widening.

She stopped before they reached the others, signalling for them to load onto the shuttles. She could feel Revan staring at her; the black and red mask just looked in her direction for a moment before climbing onto the shuttle.

"Okay I'll elaborate more later but the gist of it is this. She’s from another galaxy, that power she used isn't biotics, its nothing we have ever even heard of before. She can read minds and make people tell the truth, probably make them do whatever she wants." She let out a breath as she finished and waited for Garrus's response. She trusted him and right now she needed another opinion. She was way too conflicted on this, especially now.

"Well that's…crazy. But with you Shepard I’ll believe just about anything. So let me guess, you turned her down because you worried about her using those powers against us?" Shepard almost laughed how quickly and easily Garrus had figured her out.

"Pretty much."

"I get your concern…but Shepard, she just saved our lives. We’re going up against a race we know almost nothing about; we’re going to need a lot of help. Not saying we drop our guard around her, but if she offered to help and then shows up to save our lives, why not give her a chance?" Shepard was silent as she took in her friend’s words. What he said made sense.

Revan had already proved she could be immensely helpful and things were only going to get harder from her on. While Shepard was still wary of those powers, having Garrus on board now eased her mind about that. She would have one person she could depend on no matter what. If things went bad with Revan, she would have Garrus to help her out.

"Come on, let's go." She still wasn't completely decided; first she would talk with Revan. However, Garrus had eased her worries a lot. They jumped into the transport. Revan was seated across from Miranda, and the two were in mid conversation.

"—unlike anything we have ever seen. I was hoping you could provide us with some insight into what makes them so strong." Shepard just shook her head as she strapped herself in. Miranda just couldn't even wait until she had made a decision. The woman was dedicated.

"I was unaware you retrieved my belongings from the shuttle," replied Revan, her masked face swinging to look at Shepard. "Guess you forgot to return them." Shepard didn't reply—the armoured woman wouldn't believe that she really had just forgotten.

"The fault is mine. When we got back to the Normandy I quickly took them to the lab. Shepard was more concerned with your health and forgot to even ask about them." Shepard just looked at Miranda in surprise. She had actually defended her.

"No matter," Revan replied with a shrug, looking back towards Miranda. "Anyway, to answer your question, the material is extremely rare, Beskar is its name. It's only found on one planet in my galaxy, and it's the strongest metal in existence. I doubt that it exists here."

"That's too bad." Miranda looked disappointed for a moment but then she jumped right back into the questions. "What about those!" She pointed to the tubes at Revan’s waist. "They were emitting some kind of laser, you were using them like a sword!" God, Miranda sounded almost giddy.

Although Shepard had to admit she was very curious about the laser swords as well. In this day and age melee weapons were pretty rare, apart from the occasional bayonet. Most races did their fighting at range, the exceptions being the Krogan and other Vanguards.

"It's not a laser sword. It's actually a blade of pure plasma held within a force containment field. If you would like I can go into further detail later." Shepard forced away her glare; dammit she was just inviting herself into the crew now, as if the choice was hers!

Shepard didn't listen to Miranda's elated response; her effort was focused on pushing away her annoyance. She would need a clear mind when dealing with Revan.

"Laser, plasma, whatever. You cut through those mercs like they were nothin, it was goddamn impressive. Saved our asses," said Zaeed in his gruff voice from wherehe was seated beside Miranda.

"It was no trouble, they were terrible excuses for mercenaries." Zaeed just laughed in response. It seemed everyone but her had no trouble with Revan. Of course they didn't know about her mind powers, but Shepard knew she would have to tell them. Everyone needed to know if Revan joined them. God was she really going to let her join?

She mentally shook herself. No, now wasn't the time to decide. She still needed to talk with her. Revan had come out of nowhere and saved their lives, and she wanted to know why. She was going to put everything out there. She would tell her why she had turned her down and see how Revan responded. Shepard spent the rest of the shuttle ride deciding on exactly what she would say.

Shepard looked around the debriefing room. She had assembled the entire crew in the room, and she made eye contact with everyone except Revan. What was up with that mask? She quickly pushed the thought from her mind and focused

"Alright, first of all I just want to congratulate everyone on a mission well done." She glanced at Revan now, somehow knowing the woman was staring directly at her even though it was impossible to see Revan’s eyes. "And a special thank you to Revan and her timely intervention." The masked and hooded woman simply nodded.

"Now for those of you who don't know, which is probably everyone, this is Garrus." She pointed to the tall Turian standing beside her, and his familiar presence filled her with a calm she hadn't felt in some time. "He will be joining us on our mission to take down the Collectors. As of this moment he will be third in command behind me and Miranda." She could hear Garrus's mandibles click faintly in surprise.

Honestly she would have made him her second but she didn't want to get into that with Miranda right now. As much as she distrusted Cerberus she still needed their resources. Miranda could keep the title, but in her mind Garrus was second.

"Also this is Zaeed, a mercenary contracted by the Illusive Man; he’s joining us as well. I’m sure his experience will prove invaluable." She heard a faint noise, almost like a grunted laugh. At first she assumed it was Zaeed but she was looking right at him, and it hadn't come from him. Her eyes looked over to Revan and she just knew it had come from her.

"Commander," said Miranda, "I couldn't help but notice you never said Revan was joining us, yet she is here." Well it was time to get this over with.

Revan was the reason she had called everyone together. She may not have trusted Cerberus but the people on this ship were her crew and they would be walking right into hell with her. She owed them the truth. No matter what she would not lie to them. It was important they knew about Revan's power. Plus Miranda would probably just report everything to her boss anyway.

"That’s why I called everyone here. As some of you may remember we picked Revan up before arriving at Omega. She offered to join us then but I turned her down."

"Something about not being able to trust me, but a mercenary you have never met is much more trustworthy right?" Revan’s voice was still completely level, filtered through her helmet, but it was easy to pick out the annoyance in her voice. Shepard wasn't even angry at her comment—she had that one coming.

"That was the reason I gave yes. However it seems you are determined to help us and as Garrus pointed out to me, we need all the help we can get. However before I accept you I want to tell you and everyone here why I really turned you down." She looked around at each of the faces before finally settling on Revan.

"Revan comes from a different galaxy. How she got here is a story from another time but it's the only logical conclusion, one EDI, Revan, and I agree with. However as some of you have witnessed, Revan possesses an incredible power she calls The Force. This power is not related to biotics in anyway and from what I've seen it is immensely more powerful." Shepard took in a breath, this was it. "The reason I turned her away is because this power also grants her the ability to affect people minds. She was able to force Chakwas to tell the truth and also read Jackson’s mind. I assume you have other powers that can affect people's mind as well. This is the reason I turned Revan away. I don't know her, I don't know her motives, and therefore I couldn't be certain that she wouldn't use these powers against us. That's it. If you or anyone else has anything to say now is the time."

* * *

 

Revan stared at the commander as she finished speaking. Revan could feel all eyes on her. She was surprised at the redhead’s honesty with her entire crew. Revan had been expecting some kind of secret meeting, but the commander had laid everything out for everybody to hear, including her true reasons for turning Revan away.

She wished the woman had told her this at the outset, as it actually made her less annoyed at the scarred woman. These reasons made more sense and Revan could understand them more than a simple trust issue.

Revan looked around the room; she knew everyone was waiting for her to speak. She locked eyes with the commander. She knew what the woman was doing and she couldn't help but admire her for it. The commander had backed her into a corner. Either Revan had to give them a reason to trust her or she would be turned away. She couldn't even be pissed at the clever tactic.

"The commander is right; I do possess these powers and more. For instance, I could make those of a weak will do whatever I told them to." She wasn't going to list everything she could do, but this was the thing they would be most afraid of so she would come clean about it. "Looking around this room I can pick out a handful of people that I could influence right now."

Everyone in the room visibly tensed, and the broad dark skinned man visibly reached for his weapon. Going with her gut Revan reached out and pulled the pistol from the man's fingertips, letting it hover in front of her.

Most people in the room stared wide eyed, a few more reached for weapons but no one actually drew them. Revan set the gun down on the table before her

"Sorry but you were the most likely to shoot." She looked around the room again. "So yes I can read minds. For those of a strong will, I can only discern base intentions such as violence, not actual thoughts. I understand these powers scare some of you; it was the same in my own galaxy. However, I hope that I can assure you that I will not use them against you." She could sense the fear coming from many of the weaker willed crew; it was time to placate the masses.

"If I was to influence someone to do my will they would do it without question, however they would have no recollection of me telling them to do it, nor why they did it. So if you see someone do something odd and they don't know why…well that's one way of knowing."

She was unsure about sharing this next part with everyone. However, she knew it was essential to earning their trust. As much as she despised the idea of having to prove her loyalty to these people, her path was clear. She needed to be here. She needed to ensure the commander’s survival; her pride would have to shut up for now.

"Now this next part will sound very unbelievable to you all but it is the truth and it is the reason I wish to join you and would do nothing to hinder your efforts." She took in a breath—this would be interesting. "The force showed me a vision of the future and I saw what would happen if the Reapers won, I saw this galaxy burn." The next part was slightly made up but she felt there was a connection between the return of the Reapers and the Collectors, even if she hadn't technically seen it.

"The Collectors are connected to the return of the Reapers, I know what will happen if they return. Whether I like it or not this Galaxy is where I’m stuck and I don’t want to see its inhabitants slaughtered, especially if I’m to be among them." She really didn't care for her own life but everyone could understand self-preservation. "I know how important you will all be in stopping both the Reapers and the Collectors. That’s why I wish to add my powers to yours, so we may save this galaxy."

She cast another look around the room, her eyes settled on the commander, her expression was guarded as usual but Revan could see something in her eyes…almost as if they were softening from the hard glare she usually gave the armoured woman.

"I’m sorry but did you say you saw the future?" laughed one of the crew. Revan flicked her eyes to the man who stood near the commander. He had a beard, wore a cap, and was leaning heavily on the table.

"Yes I did, one of the possible futures," she replied flatly. Skepticism was to be expected.

"Wow Shepard looks like you found yourself a prophet," laughed the man again.

"Impossible," said one of the aliens. Revan’s research told her it was a Salarian. "Future cannot be predicted with certainty. Only extrapolated, calculated, hypothesized."

"The force sometimes grants visions on the future. However that does not mean it is set. The future is always in motion, what I saw was merely what will happen IF the Reapers win. I want to work to prevent that future." She repressed a sigh. It was hard enough explaining these things to people who at least knew about the force, but it was completely unheard of in this galaxy.

"Look," began Revan, she didn't want to be here all day. "I know this is hard for you all to believe, but it’s the truth. I want to help save this galaxy. I can’t make you all trust me. Let me prove that I mean what I say." Deep down her pride began to growl again but she quickly pushed it down. No matter what her personal feelings were, she needed to do this. The commander needed to live, so Revan would have to earn her trust and that of her crew apparently.

Revan truly didn't mean them any harm so it should prove an easy matter for them to trust her. She had always been good at persuading people, even without the force. The crew would be easy; the commander was going to be the difficult one. Even Revan’s pride couldn't overpower her love of a challenge.

"I don't know about all this magical power stuff," said the tall alien beside the commander. Garrus was his name, a Turian. "But you saved all our lives down on Omega, and that goes a long way with me. For what it's worth Shepard, I say you give her a chance, it's the least she deserves." Revan nodded her head in thanks. It was clear from looking at the alien that he was a soldier. Her research into the Turian race had proved it was something he held in common with many of his people.

The one thing a soldier could always count on no matter where Revan went is that there would always be a certain amount of respect among soldiers, well the good ones anyway. Saving someone's life was not easily forgotten. It was an action that deserved respect and gratitude. For the moment it seemed Revan had the Turian’s gratitude, enough to stand up for her.

“Wait, you’re a woman?” asked the bearded man again.

Revan didn’t bother repressing her eye roll since it was hidden.

“Bigger issues Joker,” Shepard sighed, shaking her head.

"I agree," grunted the man in the middle of the table. His face was weathered and he had a horrible scar around his off colored eye. "With Garrus.” He nodded towards the Turian. “Saved our asses down there and kicked the hell outta the Blue Suns without breaking a sweat. I wouldn't mind having her on our team."

"I agree Commander. Revan has given us little reason to distrust her. Her escape attempt was understandable under the circumstances and I say saving our lives makes up for it." The accented raven haired woman added her opinion and Revan nodded thanks to her as well.

There was about a full minute of silence before the commander finally opened her mouth

"Well if nobody has any objections then I see no reason why we shouldn't welcome Revan aboard."

"I appreciate it Commander. You won’t have reason to regret it."

"I'll hold you to that. Everyone is dismissed."

Revan let herself smile behind her helmet. She may not have the commander’s trust yet but she was well on her way. Being stuck on this ship would make her secondary plan slightly more difficult however.

She knew this was where she needed to be but it was also…inconvenient. She would have to find a way to take care of everything from this ship. She had made the plan during her meditations, and while she hadn't worked out the exact details yet she had ideas.

This galaxy was not ready for the Reapers, that much was obvious. She would need to be prepared for their arrival. She knew it was inevitable. She needed an army.


	8. The Krogan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning, brief mention of rape. Nothing described or explicit, but the act is mentioned.

Revan looked down at the items neatly laid out across the table; she had a faint smile on her face. At least these had been saved. She picked up the long three-bladed knife, examining it with a keen eye for any new damages. The complete weapon was the length of her forearm. After the inspection she quickly put it into the hidden compartment in the armor along the inside of her forearm.

Next Revan stared down at the green armor laid before her. She slowly ran her gloved fingers across its surface. She was familiar with every scrape, dent, and cut in the armor and she traced along them all in what could be described as a reverent movement.

" _Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum,_ Besh'la- _buir_ ," she whispered before removing her hand from the chest piece.

She quickly turned away from the green armor, taking in a deep breath before sitting down in her chair. She had set up her quarters in the far corner of the hangar bay. The large crates formed a natural wall giving her privacy; she had moved a few of them around with the force to further close it off, forming an actual room with only a single entrance.

It quickly became apparent that this was the least populated area on the ship, with only the occasional crew member coming down to perform maintenance on the shuttles. She had pulled two large workbenches in here and they sat against the western wall. The green armor sat on one while the second had the disassembled pistol she had bought.

Against the eastern wall was a small cot that she had requisitioned. The north wall had a small desk with three terminals on it; she had made one last run to Omega to purchase them before they had left the station.

Each of the screens was displaying something different. The middle one was working on her plans for funding her operations, and the right one had several smaller windows open, each dedicated to a different field or research. The left showed a series of schematics.

She pushed the chair from the work bench to wheel across the room, halting herself in front of the left computer. She stared at the schematics for the pistol she had disassembled, and carefully read over the detailed description of each part.

The weapons in this galaxy were certainly interesting. They still used slug based weapons. In her galaxy most people considered such weapons to be primitive, although there were some very high-end slug weapons that were still made. The weapons here though…they were quite efficient. She admired their design. Although when it came to the weapons widely used by ships in space, well she still thought the turbo laser technology of her galaxy was better in that regard.

Still these mass generators could propel slugs at incredible speeds; however the issue of overheating still seemed to be a serious problem. These thermal clips seemed to be nothing but a pain in the ass. Clearly they needed better internal heat sinks, rather than these stupid detachable ones.

It seemed this was a recent change as well. She couldn't figure out what had spawned the change, it seemed idiotic to her. The information told her that it was because in order to overcome the shields in this galaxy soldiers needed to pour a great amount of fire at their enemies. The weapons continually overheating gave time for shields to recharge.

It seemed like a smart move at first but now it seemed these weapons could not operate without these thermal clips, essentially turning a gun that had near limitless ammo into one that had very little ammo.

" _Di'kutla._ " she muttered to herself, shaking her head. Why not just improve the internal sinks to absorb heat better? It made no sense to her, but it mattered not. She would just fix it herself.

A beep from the middle terminal drew her attention and she quickly glided in front of it. Seems her worm was now dispersed. She stared at the screen for a full minute and tracked its progress. One minute and it had already spread to over a million accounts.

Revan couldn't help but grin as it neared ten million. This was almost too easy. The odds of her worm being detected were incredibly low. She had been very careful in creating it; this had been her backup weapon to bankrupt the Republic if the war ever turned on her.

Even IF they did find it they would not be able to stop it. After all she had created it with technology from her galaxy, and she only had to alter it slightly to work with these systems. The test on Omega proved that these systems could not detect it, so she had simply altered it to work on a much wider scale.

One billion accounts infected and still climbing. She would have the finds she needed by the end of the week. Her worm would siphon off minuscule amounts from each bank account infected and then disperse them into over a thousand that she had created for this purpose.

The amounts would go unnoticed by both the banks and the accounts owners as it was so small. But it was so widespread that it would still make her massive sums of money. Fifty-six billion and it was starting to slow down. She loved technology.

Revan quickly shut off the middle terminal and wheeled back over to her workbench as she sensed a presence nearing. She recognized the feeling of the accented midnight haired woman as she crossed the cargo bay. She was a cold calm of carefully controlled emotions. She was also highly intelligent and seemed to have a thirst for any knowledge that could benefit her cause. Which at the moment was the same as this Illusive Man's cause. Revan still needed to meet that man.

"Revan?" she called before stepping into the entrance to her makeshift room. She looked up from the disassembled heat sink before answering.

"Yes? Miranda Lawson, correct?" She knew that was her name but they had yet to be formally introduced.

"That's right, do you have a minute?" She still hadn't stepped passed the doorway. She seemed to respect boundaries—that was good to know.

"Sure, come in." Miranda nodded her thanks and stepped inside. She only cast a quick glance around the room before her ice blue eyes settled on Revan again. She was focused.

"I wanted to speak to you about the mission."

Well this would prove interesting. She knew that Miranda worked directly for the Illusive Man while the commander was operating on her own agenda, simply using Cerberus for their resources so she could complete her mission. Perhaps this would lead to a power struggle on the ship? Revan nodded for her to continue.

"As Shepard said this is her mission. However, it is also one that is funded and supported by the organization I work for, Cerberus. We are the ones who rebuilt Shepard, built this ship, provide funding, and have put together the dossiers for her team. Therefore, you can imagine we have a lot invested in making sure this mission succeeds."

"Yes, I understand," Revan replied with a nod. She knew where this was headed.

"You however, despite your desire to help, are still an unknown element. I need to make sure you have no designs that would harm Cerberus, or this operation."

"Well I can assure you that I will do nothing to jeopardize this mission. As for Cerberus…" She watched the other woman’s expression closely as she paused, waiting to see her reaction, but Miranda had none.

Her face remained blank as she waited for Revan to continue. She smiled behind her helmet, she certainly was a focused person. "As long as Cerberus's goals align with saving this galaxy then I will not act against them either."

Miranda nodded at her answer, and Revan could tell she was pleased with it. The reserved woman truly believed that Cerberus was doing what was right. For now they may be, but they were also an organization fighting for human superiority.

Revan knew that when it came to galactic war they would do what was best for humans, not the galaxy. Sooner or later they would become a liability, perhaps even a hindrance. She would need to add that on her list of things to prepare for.

"Then I doubt we will have any problems," Miranda replied, her voice level, calculating.

Revan simply nodded. Cerberus may become a threat, but what about her? She was strong-willed so it would require some effort into reading her thoughts and feelings, which she would notice. However even just on the surface Revan got the feeling that Miranda would do what was necessary—perhaps not what was right, but what needed to be done. When the Reapers came it would be imperative that everyone stood together on equal ground. A unified force was the only way of fighting them.

An organization that believed humans should be dominating in the galaxy would not fight to the benefit of other races. That would hinder the war; it would not be the logical thing to do. So would Miranda still support them if it came to that? Right now Revan couldn't be sure, but if she could find out more about her character and personality then Revan could decide if the other woman would be a liability or be counted on.

"So would you care to learn how these work?" Revan asked, pointing to the lightsabers at her hip. She saw Miranda’s eyes light up slightly with the anticipation and she nodded, a very faint smile on her face. There was no time like the present.

* * *

 

Shepard finished drying her hair off; tossing the towel onto her sofa she pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she walked into the elevator. They were about a day from Korlus where they would pick up a Krogan warlord. Dammit she just wished she could get Wrex instead. He was the only old grumpy Krogan she wanted on her ship.

The elevator doors opened on the CIC and she quickly stepped out to find a smiling Kelly Chambers. Dammit this girl was always in a good mood.

"Good evening commander," she beamed.

"Hello Kelly," Shepard replied, returning the smile but without nearly as much enthusiasm. Kelly was nice, even if she did get a little annoying sometimes—she could talk forever!

"There are no new messages for you." She seemed to forget that Shepard was perfectly able to see on her own when she had messages. "I was just about to head down for dinner, would you care to ride down with me?"

"Sure, just gotta grab Joker first; he forgets to get out of that damn chair sometimes." Shepard knew that part of the reason he didn't often join the others for meals was because it was difficult for him to get around.

Since she had learned that she had always made sure to help him down so he could join the others. He had bitched about not needing help at first but after a while he just shut up and accepted it.

"Oh he is already down with the others. He looked like he was in a lot of pain but he said something about not wanting to be carried bridal style again." Shepard laughed at the image; she had only done that to him once when he had been particularly stubborn one day.

"Well let's go then." They loaded back into the elevator and Kelly pushed the button.

"I also wanted to talk to you about Revan." Shepard cursed under her breath, this was a damn ambush, and she was trapped with nowhere to go. Luckily the ride didn't take long. "She has been on the ship three days but she hasn’t made any contact with the other crew members. Only you, Miranda and Mordin have actually gone down to see her. She doesn't ever come out of the room she made in the cargo hold."

Shepard just nodded; she already knew all of this. Revan had been keeping to herself since she joined. Miranda and Mordin had both gone down to see her. Mordin only once. According to the Salarian it was to question her about the powers she had and to take a sample of her blood for study, which had turned up nothing.

Miranda on the other hand had gone to see Revan a few times. Apparently she was showing Miranda how her technology worked. The Cerberus officer had tried to explain it to Shepard once but she had quickly silenced the raven haired woman, too much nerd talk for her to understand.

Shepard had only gone down to see Revan twice herself, to make sure she settled in, and to see if she was going to join them for dinner. Both times the constantly armoured woman had been hard at work on some kind of project.

She had said she was working to improve their weapons. Both conversations had lasted no more than five minutes. Unless she was talking about her work, Revan wasn't the most chatty type.

"And the fact that she never takes off her mask concerns me. Someone who doesn’t show their face usually has something to hide. I’m not saying it’s anything sinister but it makes me wonder about her. She’s a mystery."

Shepard picked up on Kelly's fluctuating voice on the end, she knew that damn tone. Half the men and women in the crew used that tone when they talked about Revan. Three days on the ship and already a dozen had a crushes on her.

Shepard wasn't sure if Revan was doing the whole dark and mysterious act on purpose, but it was getting damn annoying. They hadn't even seen her face and already everyone was gossiping and swooning after her like a bunch of school girls.

Hell only her and Chakwas had actually seen Revan’s face. She would admit it definitely wasn't a bad face to look at…but this was still getting annoying!

The doors opened and the two women walked out and entered into the main room where most of the crew sat around the large table, already eating. Shepard nodded to those she passed on her way to dish up her plate. She had made sure to grab some real food on the citadel; Cerberus had given them shit provisions.

Shepard dished up a bowl of pretty good smelling stew—she had been hoping for brinner though. Nothing beat pancakes for supper. She smiled as she walked over to one of the few empty seats left at the table. Garrus kicked it out for her as she neared.

"Such a gentleman," she said with a grin.

"Yeah I know," he replied with his Turian grin.

Shepard was about to take her first bite when she saw Kelly glancing around the table, that sad puppy dog look on her eyes. Shepard sighed and put her spoon down

"Be right back," she muttered and headed back to the elevator.

She supposed it wouldn't be so bad getting Revan to join them. If she was ever going to trust the armoured woman then she needed to get to know her, and having dinner with the rest of the crew was a good start.

Shepard walked out into the cargo bay and headed towards Revan's room. She was pretty sure the magical woman could sense her coming, or whatever she did, but Shepard still knocked on the side of the crate that served as her doorway.

"Come in Commander," Revan called, and her synthesized voice told Shepard she was still wearing that damn helmet. She was typing away on one of the three terminals, back to Shepard.

"Do you ever take a break?" she asked, looking around the room.

One of the work benches had the suit of green armor laid out very neatly on its surface. The other was covered in weapon components and tools. The rest of the room was very neat and orderly with nothing out of place.

"I’ve got a lot to do," Revan answered her somewhat absently, doing a quick flurry of typing and then she turned to face her. "I’ve almost completed a new heat sink for the weapons. I’ve also been modifying my armor to accommodate your shield technology."

Revan certainly had been busy. Like Mordin level of busy. At work for three days and she had already improved their weapon systems? It seemed highly unlikely, but it was obvious she was highly intelligent and she did have knowledge of completely foreign technology.

If the weapons panned out then she would give them a huge edge over their opponents. It seemed she was trying very hard to aid their cause. Now Shepard just needed to know if she could trust her as a person and work with her.

"Well it's time for a break. The crew is having dinner, come up and join us."

"I am not that hungry," Revan replied quickly. Shepard sighed and took a step in the room; crossing her arms she fixed the other woman with what Garrus had dubbed, her commander stare. Even though she seriously doubted it affected Revan.

"Look if you ever hope to gain anyone's trust you can't be a complete recluse, come and eat with us. Try being sociable, it couldn't kill you." Revan looked at her for a moment before spinning around to type on the right monitor for several seconds before turning off the screen.

"Alright," she answered rising from her seat. Her voice was still that exact same damn level tone she always used when speaking with Shepard. She had never even heard so much as a waver in it.

"Jesus don't act like this is some sort of punishment," Shepard said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. Revan always seemed so dour when she talked to her.

"I realize that. It’s just been a while since I ate in the company of others." There was still no trace of emotion in Revan’s voice.

"What you always eat alone?" She was probably exaggerating or something.

"For some time now yes." Revan’s voice was completely serious; Shepard knew she was telling the truth.

"Well that's depressing. Your new official orders are to have dinner with the crew every night."

"Alright." God, talking to her was painful.

Shepard turned and headed back to the elevator. Revan seemed to have gotten even more quiet lately. Shepard could remember the argument they got into, even a few sarcastic remarks that she had thrown around. Along with the one time her voice had actually contained any emotion, even if it was annoyance. 

But now she was just so serious. Miranda seemed to be getting along with the armoured woman just fine and hadn't mentioned anything about her being too quiet. Was she like this all the time or was it just with Shepard? Or did Miranda just not notice, or care? She was pretty quiet herself.

They rode up in silence and when they entered back into the main room she could feel all eyes on them, or rather Revan. Shepard retook her seat next to Garrus while Revan got herself some food.

"Well I'll be damned. Your persuasive powers did it again," whispered Garrus with a chuckle.

"I am just too lovable to say no to," she replied with a smirk, causing her friend to laugh again. Revan took the empty seat between Miranda and Donelly. Most people were too intimidated to sit next to Miranda.

God, Shepard could feel everyone holding their breath as they waited for Revan pull down her hood and take off her helmet. Everyone was trying not to stare, but they were failing miserably. Shit she even noticed Miranda cast a glance over at the reclusive woman, although it was way more subtle than the others and was probably born of an idle curiosity. Of course if Shepard hadn't already seen her face she would probably be pretty curious too.

Revan lifted the spoon, as if to eat with her helmet still on. Shepard almost burst out laughing as she felt everyone hold in a sigh. She suddenly put the spoon down and pulled down her hood, speaking as she took off the helmet.

"How upset would you all have been if I could eat with this on?"

The helmet came off and everyone stared while Shepard laughed. Partially because it had been genuinely funny, but also because she was just surprised Revan had done that. A few more people laughed, including Garrus. Shepard’s smile fell away as she realized this meant it was just her that Revan was so stoic around.

Revan set the helmet beside her and began eating, ignoring the stares she was still getting. Even Shepard found herself casting a glance now and then. Revan certainly was a striking woman. Her jet black hair was still pulled tightly into a series of braids, but it shone brightly in the lights, looking like silk. Her bronze skin had a rich glow and her steel eyes were quite captivating.

"So, what's the deal with you wearing that thing all the time?" asked Joker. "Is it just to scare people?"

"It’s a cultural thing. It's also a damn tough helmet," answered the unmasked Revan, her rich, smoky, accented voice now coming through clearly.

"Well if you wanna scare people I would suggest not wearing a dress," chuckled the pilot. Shepard promptly elbowed him in the ribs, which he groaned loudly at. Joker really had no filter.

"Where I come from it's considered a robe, and not at all out of place. Although your dress style here is very…different."

God, Shepard didn't want to imagine how other people dressed if that was just a robe. Revan quickly began eating again, Shepard knew it was so people wouldn't ask her questions; it worked, for a while.

"So, Revan what did you do before you got here?" asked Kelly, leaning forward slightly in anticipation for her answer. God, she was even more interested now that she had seen the woman’s face.

"I was a soldier," Revan replied flatly. As she finished speaking Shepard remembered something from one of their first conversations.

"You told me you were a general," she said, intently watching her reaction. Her expression did not change; she simply looked Shepard’s way now.

"Yeah. I was a general. I commanded the Republic and Jedi forces during the Mandalorian wars."

“You commanded the entire army?” asked Kelly, eyes wide.

“Yeah.”

“But you’re so young!” To that, Revan just shrugged.

Shepard did suppose Revan did look young, but it was hard to pin down her exact age. She was likely around Shepard’s own age. It wasn’t unheard of for someone that young to be given command, provided they were capable enough. But no matter how young Revan may have looked, her eyes held the years and experience of someone far older. Someone who had seen more death and destruction than anyone should. The eyes never lied.

"Jedi, that's what you are right? People with your powers?" Shepard asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. Jedi are people with powers like mine," Revan answered.

Shepard noted that instead of just saying yes, thereby agreeing that she was a Jedi, she had instead told her what the Jedi were, as if she weren't one. Shepard filed that away for further consideration.

"Who or what are the Mandalorians?" asked Garrus, his interest clear now that they were talking about war.

"The Mandalorian were—are a warrior society. They’re similar to your Krogan. They’re a loose collection of clans under the leadership of a warrior with the title of Mandalore; the leader who started the war and led the Mandalorians was Mandalore The Ultimate"

"The ultimate?" scoffed Joker. "Guy was kind of full of himself." Shepard had to agree, the title was a bit ostentatious.

"He was an incredibly brutal and skilled warrior and tactician," Revan explained. Shepard didn't comment but instead listened; she couldn't help but be intrigued by Revan's words, something which most of the other people at the table shared.

"So were the Mandalorians as big and scary as the Krogan?" asked Donnely.

"The Mandalorians aren’t one race; they’re a culture, an idea. Being Mandalorian has nothing to do with your species or where you were born. Anyone can join them; it's a way of living, a state of mind, an ideal."

"You almost sound like you admire them," noted Kelly, saying what Shepard was thinking. Revan’s voice had taken on an almost certain…fondness.

"I am Mandalorian," she replied. Her voice was low, but their was pride in it. Shepard felt the surprise course through the room. She hadn't been expecting that. Revan had fought against her own people?

"But,” continued Revan, “those I fought were not true Mandalorians, they had lost their way. Led astray by bastards like Cassus Fett they turned into violent butchers who slaughtered entire worlds to right some ancient injustice or to prove their strength. They were a disgrace, they had no honor. They attacked the Republic in hopes on conquering it; they conquered many worlds before they were finally stopped. Myself and others led the Republic forces to drive them back. Eventually I killed Mandalore and we crushed their armies."

The room was silent as everyone took in the story. Shepard had to admit that she was impressed, and she knew Revan wasn't lying. She didn't seem like the type to make shit up. She was confident in herself and it was born of having tested herself in battle.

The story had been an incredibly short version of a war Shepard was certain had contained horrible atrocities that Revan had witnessed. She wasn't going to press her for more details right now; she could understand not wanting to talk about certain elements from one’s past.

While she was curious and would probably ask Revan in the future, right now she would leave it; the armoured woman had already shared quite a bit of herself for one night.

"So you were a hero!" exclaimed Kelly. That bright look was back in her eyes. Shepard groaned inwardly. God her crush just got even bigger. First Garrus, now Revan—who was going to be next?

"Depends who you asked," Revan replied with another shrug. She suddenly checked her omni-tool. "If you’ll all excuse me, there’s something I need to check on." She quickly rose, grabbing her helmet and putting it back on as she left the room.

Shepard watched her leave then grabbed her and Garrus's dishes.

"Alright everyone get some rest. Tomorrow we hit Korlus. Briefing at oh-nine-hundred." She put the dishes away and headed back to her cabin. She still had to plan the operation.

* * *

 

The shuttle bounced the ground team around as they encountered slight turbulence. Shepard grabbed the supports on the roof to steady herself. Garrus did the same while Revan seemed to cope very well on her own, her body only swaying slightly. Good space legs.

"Alright we're hitting this place fast and hard. I don't wanna get caught fighting the whole damn place." This was supposedly a training ground for Blue Suns mercenaries, but they didn't know their numbers. Miranda was standing by with the others in case they needed support.

The shuttle touched down and the door opened. Shepard was the first one out the door, her shotgun scanning the LZ. Garrus quickly followed suit. Revan was the last off and she was scanning the area with her pistol.

She had passed out the newly completed thermal clips before the mission. She had made five of them and she claimed they would be able to fire off about a thousand rounds of ammo before being depleted; of course that number would change depending on the weapon being used.

She said if it worked then she could modify the clips to be permanently installed in their weapons. When the guns weren't firing they would automatically cool, just like in the good old days.

They quickly moved forward in formation, Garrus on her right and Revan on her left, each two steps behind her. A woman's voice shouted over a loudspeaker and Shepard couldn't help but chuckle

"She must really like the sound of her own voice," Garrus chuckled.

Revan pointed past a large mound of scrap metal. "Enemies around the corner, four of them."

Shepard nodded and readied her weapon, those abilities certainly were useful.

True to Revan’s words, they rounded the corner and saw a group of four Blue Suns mercenaries. Shepard immediately activated her charge, slamming into the lead mercenary. She shot him as he flew through the air.

She turned to see that Revan had also used her powers to propel herself in the middle of the group; she shot one mercenary in the face while she stabbed a second through the chest with a now ignited lightsaber, not laser sword. The last mercenary was dropped with two quick shots to the head by Garrus.

"Okay I’m really starting to want one of those," said Shepard, looking at the glowing red blade. It was a kick ass weapon.

Revan did not answer her as she turned away. At first Shepard thought she was just being an ass but then they all heard someone muttering.

"Shit, shit, shit. Too much blood."

Shepard followed Revan's stare and saw a wounded Blue Suns merc laying on the ground a few feet away, bleeding from his side and staring at them in terror. She supposed with the big Turian beside her, the large armoured woman holding a glowing red sword, and her own black and red terminus armor they did look rather intimidating.

"It really doesn't look that bad," muttered Garrus.

"Hey!" she shouted, walking closer to the wounded man. "How about we patch you up if you give us some information?"

The man stared at her. He opened his mouth to speak but then his face twisted in pain and he grabbed his head, letting out a cry. What the hell? She looked over to Revan and saw her masked face was staring at the man.

"What are you doing to him?" Shepard demanded. The man cried out again. He seemed to be in incredible pain. A few seconds later Revan turned to face her and the merc collapsed on the ground with a whimper.

"The leader’s name is Jedore. She hired Okeer to make her an army of Krogan clones. The clones escaped somehow and are attacking the base. The mercenaries are struggling to contain them."

"What the fuck did you just do?" she demanded, taking a step closer to Revan, letting her rage show. It looked like she had just tortured the man with her mind powers.

"Extracted the information we needed," Revan answered simply; her tone only pissed Shepard off more.

"We do not torture POW's!" she growled, almost punching her in the face. She was having a very hard time controlling her rage. That was one of the things she could not tolerate.

"Oh please, he’s just a bastard mercenary."

"That doesn't—"

"Would you change your mind if I also told you that he’s wanted by the authorities because he raped and killed the girl who used to live down the street from him? He had a crush on her, he asked her out, she politely turned him down. Two days later he grabbed her when she was walking home, beat her, raped her, then killed her and ran away. She was sixteen, two parents and one younger sister."

Shepard stared at Revan, her conflicted emotions waging a war inside her. She was pissed at her for mentally torturing someone. But if what Revan said was true…rapists were the worst people in the galaxy. She would have no problem murdering every single one of them.

"I left no lasting physical or mental damage to this man. He on the other hand has destroyed several lives with one act. The world is not black and white Commander, it’s shades of grey. You know that." Revan suddenly flicked her hand to the side and there was a familiar pop of bones.

Looking back at the mercenary Shepard saw him laying limp on the ground, his head twisted much too far to the side. She looked back at Revan, not knowing what to say. She knew Revan was right, hell she actually agreed with what she had done—rapists deserved a far worse fate.

"From now on you follow me lead," she growled, "Understood?" Regardless of everything else, Revan had acted out of order. She couldn't have that.

"Perfectly Commander. There are six more enemies ahead. I’ll follow your lead." Shepard just readied her weapon and continued forward, Revan falling in step behind her.

* * *

 

Revan ducked under the clumsy attempt to smash her face with the butt of the rifle. She slammed her Shoto saber through the merc’s chest, shooting his advancing companion in the face with a quick double tap.

The new thermal clips were performing well; she was also pleased at the upgraded firing rate of the pistol. She pulled the lightsaber from the mercenary in time to deflect a sniper round she had sensed before it was even fired. Revan reached out with the force and snapped the man's neck.

Her barriers deflected a barrage of gunfire from two other mercenaries. She had sensed them but did not have time to deflect or avoid their attacks. Both got off about a half dozen rounds before they were dropped with two quick shots to the head.

" _Kandosii!"_ she shouted to the Turian over the com, the joy of battle overtaking her normally reserved self. The Turian had quickly established himself as a very skilled marksman.

"What?" replied the Turian, Garrus.

Revan chuckled as she dove for cover; two mercenaries had opened up on her from the left. The commander was to her right, firing off shotgun blasts at the mercs trying to flank them. Garrus was to their rear providing very accurate sniper fire. They were in a large open part of the facility and had encountered many mercenaries and Krogan but Revan knew they were close to Okeer.

"Well done!" she clarified. Sometimes she didn't realize when she slipped back into Mandalorian.

Revan jumped up from the scrap metal she was crouched behind. She used the force to aim her shots while she threw her long lightsaber at another that was nearing Garrus; she dropped both the mercenaries within five shots. The red blade decapitated the mercenary and sped back to deactivate and clip onto her belt.

"Nice one!" called Garrus. "You’ll have to teach me to shoot without looking!"

"If you two are done with your flirting I could use some support!" bellowed the Commander. "I got Krogan all over my ass!"

Revan was already moving before she had even spoke. The commander was blind firing her weapon at the three large aliens that had come up behind the mercenaries, cutting them down and quickly proceeding to fire on the commander.

Revan holstered both her pistol and lightsaber in one smooth movement before stretching out her hands and letting her powers loose. Purple lightning streaked from her fingers and engulfed the three heavily armored aliens. She could sense them being cooked alive in their armour; they writhed in pain, screaming savage screams before finally falling still after a minute of sustained force lighting.

Revan shook her hands as the powers fell away, leaving her with the familiar tingling in her fingertips. With all the enemies dead the commander stood and stared at her. She couldn't see the redhead’s face but knew her eyes were wide by the tone of her voice.

"What the shit was that?" she exclaimed.

"Force lightning. Quite useful wouldn't you agree?" She asked with a soft chuckle. Fighting always put her in a good mood.

"You can shoot lightning from your fingers?!"

Revan couldn't help but laugh again. She kept forgetting that these people had never seen force powers before. She supposed it was pretty impressive to see.

"Pretty great yeah?" she replied with a faint grin. The commander was pretty amusing when she was surprised or shocked. 

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," said Garrus, walking up to them. Revan nodded to the Turian as he approached.

 She was actually starting to like the alien. He was a skilled soldier, and Revan found him quite easy to get along with. He also seemed to have the commander’s complete trust.

She sensed an inner turmoil and rage in the Turian, and yet when he was around the Commander much of it seemed to fade away. Her mere presence seemed to calm him, make him more confident.

Garrus could be trusted. Revan was certain of it. That was one member of the crew down, but she still needed to find out about the others.

"Let's keep moving," said Shepard, and Revan fell in step behind her as they moved through a doorway.

They moved up a flight of stairs and entered into a room where a blue skinned alien, an Asari, immediately help up her hands.

"Shepard don't shoot! You know me!" The commander lowered her gun, but she still kept her finger on the trigger.

"Who…you’re that girl who was working at Seran's facility!"

Revan began reading the Asari's surface thoughts as she spoke with the commander. She paid enough attention to hear the conversation but most of her focus was on the alien’s mind.

She could not feel any outward hostility from the woman; she was frightened but not enough to do anything stupid. Revan pushed a little further, still not far enough to alert the Asari of her presence though. She had read the Asari could merge minds with others, sharing thoughts, feelings and other sensations. Revan did not know if they could sense her powers or not so she proceeded carefully.

As she went further she sensed a foreign presence. It was dark and cold, almost mechanical. It lay deep down, silent…waiting. It reminded her of when she had sensed the Reapers just before her vision.

How were they present in this woman though? She was not a Reaper, Revan knew that much…so how? She remembered reading something about indoctrination. It was a theory that the commander had proposed. She had stated that was how Sovereign had gained control of Saren. It was a form of mind control.

So was this woman indoctrinated? It would explain what she was sensing. If this truly was a Reaper tactic then she was a time bomb.

"Alright, get out of here. I suggest you try to stay out of trouble."

"Don't worry; I plan on staying far away from anything involving you!"

The commander began moving through the next door while the woman ran past her, towards the stairs. Revan watched her two companions enter the room beyond, where Okeer was. The Asari was running past where she stood by the stairs.

The door closed and Revan reached out to wrap her hand around the woman's mouth, pulling her closer. She could sense her fear, but Revan pushed it away. She was a threat—the Reapers had done something to her and she couldn't wait to find out what it was.

With a flick of her wrist the knife fell from its hiding place on her arm and into her hand. Revan punched the blade through the back of the Asari’s neck, severing the spinal cord right at the base of the skill, killing her instantly. She did not know she had been affected by the Reapers; there was no need for her to suffer.

She went limp against Revan and she used the force to lift her body away, guiding it down and placing it under the stairs. She returned the knife to its place on her arm and entered the room beyond.

"About time," muttered Shepard, only glancing back at her for a second before returning her attention to Okeer.

"I was just checking her terminal for useful information," she lied.

The commander would not agree with what she had done. It had technically been murder. The Asari had done nothing wrong, but she would in the future—Revan felt it. That would not be enough for the commander though; she would have let her go.

So Revan had done it, she did what needed to be done. No matter how unpleasant it had been. The commander would never need to know, it would never need to trouble her. _What?!_ No, she hadn't done it to protect the redhead! She just didn't want to get into another argument. It would be pointless.

A blaring alarm snapped her attention back into the present. Damn her! She distracted Revan’s thoughts too easily.

"Quickly Shepard you get down there and stop her. I will stay and do what needs to be done" said the Krogan, his voice sounding almost solemn at the end.

"Lets move it people!" shouted the commander. Revan followed her and Garrus out of the room, grabbing both her long lightsabers as they moved down the stairs.

As soon as they entered the room they came under fire. Several Krogan moved towards them from the middle of the room. Three mercenaries, including the female leader, fired at them from the far end. A large blocky droid lumbered towards them.

"Garrus take out that heavy!" ordered the commander, firing at the big droid.

"I’ll handle the Krogan," said Revan, igniting her lightsabers.

The large aliens were clustered in a group, firing shotguns at them. She had noted that they liked to get in as close as possible. If she got into the middle of them then they would all converge on her and try to fight her in melee.

"Copy, I got that loud bitch!" Shepard activated her powers and sped across the room in a streak of blue. Garrus began firing at the large droid, every one of his shots hitting the thing in the head.

Revan used the force to propel her into the advancing Krogan. She stabbed both red blades through one’s chest, sweeping them in opposite directions to cut the alien in half. The remaining four all charged her.

She spun to avoid a large metal fist, her lightsaber sweeping up to remove the attackers arm before she plunged the second through its face. She kicked a second Krogan in the chest, the force augmenting her strength to superhuman levels; she felt the aliens chest cave in as it fell to the ground, still not dead but damn close. A sweep of her lightsaber finished the job.

A third Krogan fired it's shotgun at her, and she let the round connect. Her shields absorbed the impact and she used the time to cut its weapon in half before cutting the Krogan in half at the waist. The final Krogan charged forward.

Revan felt the attack coming but moved too slow, surprised by the aliens sudden burst of speed. It slammed its thick shoulder into Revan's chest, throwing her back against the wall. She let her lightsabers drop to the ground; the Krogan was too close to use them properly. She should have brought her mother's crushgaunts.

The Krogan slammed a fist into her gut. It hurt like hell, probably would have broken a rib if she hadn’t been wearing armor. Revan ignored the pain. Grabbing a shoto saber in her left hand, she ignited it and plunged it through the Krogan’s chest. The thing grunted, staggering backwards. The single stab had not killed it. Revan stepped forward and plunged the glowing blade into the thing’s head, killing it instantly.

As the Krogan fell dead she looked up to see the droid’s head explode and the blocky body fall to the ground. A loud beeping began emanating from it and its stump began flashing.

"Down!" shouted Garrus.

" _Shab!"_ Revan dove behind a nearby cloning tank as she shouted.

Only a second later a large explosion filled the room. When it cleared she looked back to see the droid had been almost completely vaporized.

Her attention quickly shot to the other side of the room where she sensed the commander still fighting—she sensed the woman wasn't in danger though. It was confirmed when Revan saw her smash the mercenary commander’s face into a nearby cloning tank two times before her arm began glowing blue and she punched the enemy commander in the throat.

Revan sensed the woman's life quickly fade, her entire throat crushed, and she died gasping for air. The commander walked away from the body, not caring. Revan’s admiration for her began to go up before her head snapped up to the room where Okeer was. His life was rapidly fading away.

"Okeer!" Revan shouted. Shepard seemed understand her as they all bolted back up the stairs. A second later EDI informed them that the room was flooding with gas.

They ran into the room and saw Okeer slumped on the ground in front of his terminal.

"He’s dead," Revan said plainly, feeling no life signs from the Krogan.

"Dammit!" shouted Shepard, walking over to his body.

She looked up at the terminal as a message began playing. Revan moved past her and looked at the Krogan inside the tank. It was still alive. Its thoughts were dormant, evidently in some kind of comatose state.

"Alright Normandy pick us up. We are bringing Okeer's project aboard, so get some equipment to haul him in." The commander turned to face Revan. "Unless you can carry it in with your magic power?" she added with a grin.

"Actually I can," Revan replied grinning slightly.

"Nevermind Normandy. Our resident magician will handle it." Revan felt herself chuckle.

This woman was surprising. She had gone from almost hating her to making jokes with her? She knew The commander still didn't trust her, but dammit she was turning out to be surprisingly easy to get along with.

Sure, they had their moral differences; Revan knew that coming into this situation. She knew they would clash over things. They had already and they would again. The redhead annoyed her to no end when she freaked out over how Revan used her powers or about her powers in general. But she seemed to be getting better. Revan smiled at this knowledge. She was gaining her trust—it was working.

Revan knew her presence at dinner, and revealing a bit about herself, had gone a long way in helping ease the commander’s tension towards her. Normally Revan would be not so forthcoming about such information but she needed to get some ground with the scarred woman. Revan couldn't keep her alive if the commander wouldn’t trust her. Besides what she had told them was pretty simple.

They did not need to know the details of the wars, nor what she had done after. She would share harmless stories with them, she would socialize, integrate herself in the crew. It may have been a long time since she had bothered to do any of that, but she still knew how to do it. She knew how to earn the trust of others.

Revan wasn't doing this for pleasure or to make friends. She was doing this because she needed to do it. She needed to earn their trust. She needed to find out who could be trusted and who she would have to guard against.

So, she would share some stories. Tell them about her galaxy, make them think she was opening up. It was actually quite easy to fool people into thinking you were letting them into your life, letting them really know you. When in actuality they knew very little—they knew only what you wanted them to. But they still had a smile on their face.

She would do what needed to be done. She would set aside everything to accomplish her goals. If she had to kill, she would kill. If she had to lie and manipulate then she would. As always Revan would do what was required, like she had done with the Asari.

The commander would never know. She would only know what Revan wanted her to know, whether it be about her past or what she was doing behind the redhead’s back. This is what Revan had to do if she was to gain her trust. So that was exactly what she was going to do.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandalorian Translations;
> 
> Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Besh'la-buir -I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal, momma Besh'la (buir is a gender neutral term of endearment for a parent, so it can mean anything from mum, momma, poppa, whatever the speaker wants really) 
> 
> Di'kutla- useless, worthless, stupid, etc.
> 
> Kandosii!- Nice one, well done, etc.
> 
> Mild fix it in this chapter, addressing the ridiculous change in weapons from ME 1 to ME 2. Went from unlimited ammo to limited? WTF? The explanation in the codex makes sense, but the way it is executed in game is ridiculous. Luckily Revan is here to fix it!
> 
> Shab!- Shit.


	9. Planning for the future

Shepard tried to ignore her scarred reflection in the tank as she looked over the armored Krogan that waited inside. He looked so…young. Not that she knew what made a Krogan look young or old, but compared to Wrex, well this one looked young to her.

Maybe she should have brought Garrus in here—who knew how this Krogan would react when she woke him up. She sure as hell wasn't going to leave him in the tank. Her fingers brushed over the pistol she behind her back, checking it was there for a final time before she stepped forward and pushed the button to activate the tank.

She stepped back as the fluid began to flush away and the door lifted open. The Krogan dropped out, falling flat on his face before taking in a ragged breath, which caused a fit of coughing as he rid himself of the liquid in his mouth and lungs.

The Krogan's head looked up to her and his eyes narrowed. _Shit!_ Shepard knew that look. She reached for the pistol but the Krogan rushed forward with blinding speed. He slammed her into the wall with his shoulder while his forearm settled across her neck and pinned her there.

The air rushed from her lungs with the impact—dammit he could hit hard. Getting hit by a Krogan was never fun, especially out of armor, but this one hit exceptionally hard, probably as hard as Wrex.

"Human. Female," said the Krogan, sniffing with each word while his ice blue eyes scanned her. Shepard was trying to pull her pistol free without alerting the large Krogan. At least she also had her biotics. She definitely should have brought Garrus.

"Before I kill you I need a name." His voice was rough, but didn't have the harsh edge that Wrex's had.

"My name is Commander Shepard," she replied, and despite the threat she did not attack now that she had her pistol free. Most Krogan would have killed her outright; she still held her finger over the trigger, slowly aiming the pistol up to point at the soft skin under his chin. A quick shot would at least stagger him—follow it up with a charge and she could easily be free of the hold he had on her.

"Not your name, mine." Shepard froze. He didn't have a name?

"The voices never mentioned ones, all I can remember are words like warlord, genophage, grunt. Grunt, it was the last one, it has no meaning. It will do."

"You want your name to be Grunt?" she asked, almost laughing. Usually the term was used as derogatory or sarcastically.

"It's as good as any," he replied, eyes fixing on her again. She felt his arm press on her slightly harder, and in response she finished lining up her shot. "Now I will do what is in my blood, fight and determine the strongest. May as well start with you."

"Well how about I offer an alternative?" she asked. Frankly she didn't want to fight this Krogan. Also it wouldn't hurt to have him on her team. If there was one thing you could always count on it was the species’ love for a fight.

"What's that?"

"Join my crew. We’re gonna be fighting more enemies than you could ever hope for. Follow me and I promise to show you some of the best fights you will ever experience." Was it sad that she was actually being honest? Trouble really did love to follow her around.

"Mmm, that is…acceptable, for now."

"Really? That easy?" she asked. She had encountered way too many hostile Krogan in her day, so maybe she was just judging Grunt unfairly.

"I care nothing for Okeer, his enemies, or his purpose. I’ll fight; if you can lead me to a good fight then I will follow you. But if you fight weak enemies then I’ll have to kill you." She knew the Krogan was completely serious, but it did not even faze her.

"Trust me, our enemies are not weak. They’ve already abducted and probably killed thousands, and the ones controlling them are even more powerful."

"Good. I’ll fight for you." Grunt nodded, and she lowered her pistol and smiled at him.

"Good choice." He looked down at her arm moving. Seeing the weapon the Krogan stepped back then looked back up at her. He started laughing.

"Offer one hand and arm the other—wise Shepard. I may grow to respect you yet." She collapsed the pistol and looked to the Krogan.

"I could always use another Krogan buddy," she said with a grin, earning another grunted laugh from the large alien. "Feel free to explore the ship. It’s mostly humans but…" she hadn't considered this until now. "We do have a Salarian and a Turian aboard, is that going to be a problem?"

"Unless they want to fight I don't care," replied Grunt with a shrug. His tone was completely indifferent, and she could detect no anger at all. That was a good sign.

"Well if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. We’ll be deploying on a mission soon. I’ll let you know when to be ready."

"I'm always ready for a fight." Shepard just grinned as she left the room; he really was just like a younger Wrex. The thought alone almost made her burst out laughing. The thoughts quickly stopped though as she saw a familiar helmeted form outside the door.

Shepard immediately noticed that she wasn't wearing her usual robe. It was gone and Revan stood now in the armor that she usually wore. Shepard hadn't quite realized just how much armor the woman wore. The robe only revealed that her chest, hands and arms were heavily armored. Now she could see that Revan wore armor all over her body.

Shepard immediately noticed the similarities between the armor Revan wore and the set they had recovered from her shuttle. The major difference being the colour. Shepard had always assumed Revan only wore the armor she could see. Damn how did she move so quickly in all that?

Shepard had picked up the chest armor from the shuttle and it was heavy! Heavier than any armor she had ever put on before. This explained why she had been so damn heavy when Shepard carried her from the crash.

She hadn't been present when they removed Revan’s armor and clothes to treat her wounds and hadn't given it a second thought until now. In the back…deep back parts of her mind she did note that without the added bulk of the robes Revan was still pretty damn big…and cut a rather impressive figure.

She almost questioned why the warrior was still in her armor but then she realized, Garrus never really left his armor, and neither did Miranda…or Zaeed. Why was she the only one who ever changed after a mission?

"Revan? What’re you doing?" she asked, pushing the random thought from her mind. The taller woman just seemed to be waiting; Shepard did note that the woman was armed with her lightsabers, but that wasn't exactly unusual.

"Waiting in case ya needed a hand," Revan answered calmly, her voice that same level tone it always was. She had deactivated the voice modulator in her helmet, so other than a bit of filtering, she actually sounded like herself.

"Seemed like it may have gone bad for a second there," Revan finished, her posture perfect as she stared down at Shepard. Although it was hard to tell exactly where she was looking because of the helmet.

Shepard didn't even ask how the helmeted warrior knew what was going on; dammit those powers of hers could be freaky.

Shepard did have to admit though that those powers were proving extremely useful, and apart from what Revan had done to that young mercenary, she had only been using them to help the mission, at least as far as Shepard knew. Although she had no proof to the contrary.

Revan’s modifications of their weapons was also a huge advancement. She certainly was proving to be very helpful, just like she had promised.

"You just have to know how to speak their language," she replied, smirking slightly. She actually quite liked the Krogan, well she liked Wrex. She hated what had been done to them. Part of her saw the necessity of it but she still didn't like it. She hoped Wrex found success in uniting the Krogan clans; if anyone could do it then it was him.

Revan just nodded in response. Seems she was back to being distant around Shepard again. After the mission she had hoped that the quiet warrior’s demeanor towards her would change. She had been pretty sociable while they were in the field but now that all seemed to have gone away. Just what was it about her?

Revan pressed the button for the elevator and they both loaded inside. She pushed the button for the CIC, glancing at the redhead , who just nodded.

"What are you doing going up to the CIC?" Shepard asked. The warrior usually stayed down in her little sanctuary. "Not that I'm saying you can't or anything!" she quickly added. Last thing she needed was Revan thinking her movements were restricted. There was enough tension between them.

"I need to perform some modifications on my armor. Your shield technology is different from my own. As you use projectile based weaponry my own are ineffective." Of course it had to do with work.

"And here I thought maybe it was just to socialize," she chuckled, trying to bring some humor into their conversation.

"What is this?” Revan didn’t even glance over as she spoke.

"Fair point, although talking about work isn't really all that stimulating of a conversation." The elevator doors opened but neither of them got off.

Revan turned her head to look at Shepard. "Do ya want another war story?"

"Still kind of work related, but I'll take it! Tell me at dinner, I’ve gotta talk to Mordin right now."

Shepard was surprised the warrior was actually offering to talk about her past. It may just be another war story but that did seem to be a big part of her past. At least she was finally opening herself up.

Revan nodded and they split off in the hallway. Shepard walked into the lab, seeing Mordin working away on his console. She cast a glance at the terminal used to order upgrades for the ship.

Chakwas had said she found a way to heal her scars but it would take resources to do so, a fair amount of them too. She wasn't about to waste valuable resources just to get rid of these scars; she could deal with her personal shit on her own.

"Mordin, how are the counter measures coming?" she asked, standing on the opposite side of the table. The Salarian quickly looked up at her.

"Progress is good. Should be completed in matter of days. But have something else, to tell you. Lied before, but need to clear air now." Shepard gave him a confused look—what had he lied about? Their last discussion had been about his work on the genophage.

"Not complete lie. Did recon on Tuchanka. Found disturbing results. Krogan began to overcome the genophage, adapting." The Krogan were overcoming the genophage?

The first emotion that went through her mind was joy. She knew how badly it had affected the Krogan. Her talks with Wrex made that painfully obvious.

She knew that the Krogan weren't exactly the most peaceful race in the galaxy, but to essentially sterilize an entire race? They could barely produce enough children to survive as a species.

Deep down she did see what led to the original deployment of the virus. She didn't agree with it but she did understand why the Turians and Salarians had done it. But that had been a long time ago, and if the Krogan were evolving past it then that was good news. They had learned their lesson.

"That's good news then! The Krogan have suffered long enough." Mordin quickly shook his head.

"Narrow minded thinking. Krogan violent as a whole, all possible scenarios led to war. Personally led a team to disperse modified cure on Tuchanka and other Krogan-centric places."

"You re-infected them?" she blurted out. How could they do that?

"Had to! Ran thousands of scenarios, all pointed to new war with Krogan. This was best way. Best for other species, best for Krogan!" Mordin’s voice took on a slightly higher pitch and he had begun pacing slightly. He was trying to make her understand, trying to make her see why he had done it.

Shepard’s fist clenched in anger. She felt like screaming at the Salarian, telling him what he had done was wrong, basically a fucking war crime. Partly for her own views on the matter but also she felt like she should do it for Wrex. Shit if he ever found out…there would be another war.

She looked at the Salarian and her anger began to ebb away slightly. He regretted it. She wasn't the best at reading facial and vocal expressions on aliens but even she could see sadness written all over his scared face. The fact that he was even telling her this signified that it weighed on him. She still didn't agree with it, hell he probably knew she wouldn't agree and would be angry with him, yet he had told her anyway.

"I get that this wasn't easy for you to tell me," she began, taking in a deep breath to calm herself. "I don’t agree with what you did Mordin. But I understand, and I thank you for being honest with me."

"Wanted you to know what I did, what I can do. Will do what is necessary to complete mission Shepard. But know you need trust. No secrets Shepard. Well maybe a few." Mordin smiled at the last bit and Shepard couldn't help but smile back. He was being completely honest and open with her, something she actually hadn't expected from a former STG operator.

"Thank you Mordin. I appreciate your honesty. Talk to you later?"

"Of course. Come back when compiling samples, good time to chat."

"Will do," she said with a friendly smile. She was still upset by the information, but not upset with Mordin.

He had done what he felt was best, and she couldn't even imagine the circumstances he had been working under either. He had been honest with her about a subject he knew could alter her opinion of him, which went a long way with her.

She had to admit the crew was actually coming along better than she had expected. Most of the crew had been unknowns but she was actually beginning to trust them. Jacob was a soldier. He didn't like a lot of the shit that Cerberus pulled and from her talks with him he was actually beginning to trust her quite a bit, seemed to go a long way with him that she was willing to be open with him about pretty much everything.

Miranda was still a bit iffy. She was loyal to Cerberus, but she also seemed to be perfectly willing to follow Shepard’s lead. Miranda was cold but during their talks she had started to warm up a bit, and they had almost borderlined on friendly a few times. She still wasn't sure about the woman but she had her hopes.

Zaeed certainly didn't have anything to hide about his past. He was very open about pretty much everything he had ever done, good or bad. He could be relied on in a fight and he didn't seem to care about Cerberus or their goals.

He had been paid to do a job and from both his stories and his reputation alone she was pretty certain he would stick this through to the end. He had attacked a Turian ship with only twelve other people, come out alive and acted like it was nothing. So she wasn't too worried about him.

Grunt was still a bit of an unknown—she had literally just met him. She had a soft spot for Krogan though, especially now that she had the image of a young Wrex in her mind.

Revan was the only other one she still wasn't sure about. She was proving herself very useful and seemed to be opening herself up to the crew.

Shepard was a bit worried about some of the warrior’s methods in the field, but then again she wasn’t exactly a paragon of goodness herself. If things kept going the way they were then Revan was going to win over her trust.

Shepard still wasn't sure why the warrior acted strangely around her outside missions. From their talk on the elevator she was beginning to think it was just because Revan wasn't used to opening herself up.

Shepard wanted the warrior to talk about herself when all she seemed to talk about was work, perhaps it really was that simple. After all, when Revan and Miranda got together all they were doing was working. Maybe Revan was like this with everything and she was just over thinking things.

* * *

 

The shields flared to life and Revan smiled faintly. It had actually been quite easy to incorporate the new technology to her armor, and the cells powering her original shields actually proved to be more powerful than those used in this new one. After the transfer she had created a new shield with a much greater lifespan.

A few test shots from Jacob had proved that the upgrade had worked and the shields were operational. At the moment, she was finishing building a second of the upgraded shields. She had a spare power cell and decided to build a second unit for the commander. Her combat style often landed her in the middle of her enemies, so it was certain to help increase her survival chances.

One of her terminals beeped twice, and she glanced over her shoulder to confirm she had a new message. Putting the finishing touches on the generator she spun in her chair and pulled herself in front of the terminal.

The transaction had gone through; she would have possession in three days. Revan had her first factory, and in four more days she could afford the second. She really liked this world of Noveria. It was a private world with almost no oversight from government officials, which meant she could do what she wanted and not have anyone asking questions.

She quickly sent out several messages before closing the terminal. Revan had found a failing company on the planet. They owned a factory on the surface and she had quickly made them an offer that they could not refuse.

She would need to make modifications to the factory but it was quicker than building one from scratch. She had already sent the orders to start implementing that changes she needed. By the time she got full possession it would almost be ready.

The second factory she was going to purchase was significantly more expensive, but it was a significantly larger factory. In fact it was the fourth largest in the galaxy, and the largest privately owned factory. It had been easy to get into contact with the owners and make them a very generous offer.

In her time working with the Cerka Corporation, Revan had learned that private companies would sell anything if the price was high enough, and she had offered a very high price. The only problem she now faced was how she could hide what would be coming out of this factory.

It was well known and had thousands of workers. Her best bet would be to replace all the workers with droids. However, that might get people talking and it still didn't solve her problem that this factory wasn't hidden away like the one on Noveria. She needed the production capabilities it offered but it was going to be one big headache.

She moved over to another terminal and began working. She would have to think more on that problem. Right now, she still had to design what would be coming out of these factories. First up were her ground forces. Mercenaries would be too costly, unreliable, and she would be unable to keep them a secret for long. Droids were the best bet.

From what she had seen this galaxy only seemed to have three types of combat models. All of them were terrible. The only unit with any potential was the heavy mechs, but the fact that they emitted such a powerful explosion upon losing their head was a very poor design feature. It would hurt allied forces more than enemies, especially if deployed in mass.

What she needed was a droid designed for front-line combat. They would need a high intelligence so they could operate without an organic commander. The intelligence part would be easy. She had a copy of HK's programming on the database in her helmet—a few alterations and they would have the perfect intelligence.

Revan smiled at remembering her ever loyal droid companion. HK had been built for assassination; if she altered a few of the programs she could still leave the base intelligence level intact.

She had programmed the droid with advanced knowledge of war, with pretty much everything she knew. All she had to do was make it more suitable to a front-line combat role than for assassination.

The droids of this galaxy could not even come close to measuring up to HK. Even the Geth could not compare. Of course, the Geth had developed into something more than mere droids. Still they only seemed to be effective in groups, whereas HK was highly intelligent and extremely lethal on his own.

Yes, she was confident that using HK as a base would give her an incredibly efficient army. Now she just needed to design the droids. She already had a few blueprints on her terminal but she would actually need to construct one in order to test its effectiveness.

Revan quickly began typing on the terminal, making a few alterations to her most promising model before she began ordering the necessary components. She would need to convince the commander to stop and pick up her shipment. She was confident that if she explained to the redhead that she was building a droid to help on the mission then it wouldn’t be an issue.

Revan would need to be wary though. The commander had fought against the Geth in her hunt for Seran—they had been the force he used to carry out his attacks. Revan would need to ensure her that this was not a Geth. Plus, as far as the redhead would know, she was building one, not tens of thousands.

Droid designs done for the moment, Revan moved to the final terminal. She still had to design ships. She had already decided not to use any models currently used in this galaxy, as they had proved terribly inefficient against the Reaper, Sovereign.

Revan would need something that could stand up to the Reapers, but in order to do that she needed to know more about them. Her efforts to gain information on Sovereign had been met with failure.

The damn council had locked away all information they may have. Other reports stated that the majority of the ship had been swept up by looters. She would try to find a way to acquire some of the pieces but people would be very careful about selling them as it was highly illegal and the council seemed to be tracking down anyone involved.

So the ships were on hold for the moment. If it came down to it then she still had the plans for her own empire’s ships—they were her backup plan. She didn't know how effective they would be against the Reapers; she hoped she could get some better information soon.

The biggest concern was whether or not the Reapers used the same kinetic barriers that the other species used. The reports stated that Sovereign had sustained a massive amount of damage before finally succumbing. If what they used were simply a much stronger version of kinetic barriers then Revan already had a massive advantage.

Kinetic barriers were only effective at deflecting objects travelling at extremely high velocities. She was certain that the turbolaser technology she had would bypass these barriers all together. On the off chance that they did not she was certain that they would still prove to be extremely effective against the barriers.

It would be difficult reproducing her galaxy’s weapons from scratch but she was confident that she could accomplish it. The second worry was the Reaper’s weapons; she did not know exactly what they were. The footage she had seen made her suspect some sort of plasma based weaponry, which would explain how it easily destroyed so many ships.

Revan wished she could get her hands on Sovereign to do a complete study but the odds of that were low. If she hadn't uncovered any new leads by the time she purchased the factory then she would begin creating production on her already existing ships. It was imperative to start production as soon as possible; she could only hope that she could get some useful information.

A quick glance the clock on the HUD told Revan that right now it was time for a war story. She had already decided which one to share with the crew tonight. She would tell them about the slaughter of the Cathar people, which would elicit an emotional response from most of the crew, which she knew would include the commander.

Then perhaps she would tell them about the battle to retake Taris. It had been a hard-fought victory but they had finally freed the city after many years of occupation. It would be a good note to end on. A tale of victory would certainly help brighten the crew’s spirits, and it would also reinforce her accomplishments and abilities, which would likely lead to people trusting her more.

 Revan rose and began heading towards the elevator. The commander had seemed pleased by her offer to share another story; it seemed that she was earning the redhead’s trust. Revan was still cautious however; the woman was not an idiot.

There was a chance that she would pick up on what the warrior was doing, but she would just have to wait and see. If it came to that…well she didn't know what she would do. Eventually the commander would want to know more. If it came to that then she could always lie.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for Revan's money making scheme is not my own. When I wrote it I thought it was, turns out I had read it early in the Republic Commando novels, which I highly recommend!!


	10. The Criminal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning, self harm.

Shepard glanced back at the Krogan lumbering behind her. He didn't have the grizzled and scarred face of Wrex but he still managed to look quite intimidating. Good, that would come in handy for this mission. Technically it really shouldn't be a mission, just a simple pick up, but then again Eden Prime had been a simple pickup.

She still couldn't quite believe that they were actually picking up a prisoner to join the crew. Yes, her biotic powers were off the charts, but it still didn't sit well with her. She would be keeping a very close eye on this Jack.

They exited the airlock and entered onto the Purgatory—seemed a fitting name for a prison floating in the middle of nowhere. She could feel Garrus becoming tense as they stepped onto the ship. Like her he was very wary of this mission and the mercenaries running the ship.

Three guards waited at the top of a ramp, watching the oncoming party. One of them, a Turian, stood in the middle and greeted them.

"Welcome to the Purgatory Shepard. Your package is being prepped and will be ready for you to collect in a few moments. You'll need to relinquish all your weapons before you proceed."

Shepard almost laughed. They actually expected her to surrender her weapons on a ship filled with mercenaries and prisoners? Just how stupid did they think she was?

"Yeah that's not gonna happen," she said, crossing her arms and fixing the helmeted Turian with a hard stare. "So either you let me through or I’ll take my business elsewhere."

The guard obviously did not know how to react. He was probably thinking that he would get into trouble for turning down so much money, but he also had to follow protocols. The door opened and a new, unhelmeted Turian walked in.

"Commander I am warden Kuril. You must understand this is just standard procedure." His voice was calm and his brown eyes stared into her green ones—he was obviously trying to be intimidating but it didn't work on her. Why did so many people try to do that to her?

"My standard procedure is to never give up my weapon. I didn't give it up when I met with the council and I’m not giving it up now." She had actually been surprised during her very first meeting with the council that no one had taken her weapon.

They must have been protected by a shield or something. After Saren’s attack C-Sec had tried to take her weapons and she promptly told them to go to hell.

Kuril continued to glare at her but she did not look awa—she had yet to lose one of these. She was proved victorious when the Turian looked away and gestured to his men.

"Let them pass. I am sure our facility is secure enough to handle three armed guests. Follow me Shepard and you can collect Jack."

The guards moved aside and Shepard moved up to follow Kuril through the door. She could see the guards giving Grunt very worried glances, and it made her grin faintly. Yeah, it definitely had been a smart move to bring him along. Revan had seemed slightly upset that she was left behind, but she also seemed to understand Shepard’s reasoning.

She needed to give Grunt a trial run, and while they shouldn't see any action on this mission she also just needed to see how he would act outside of combat. She also wanted Revan to keep working on her upgrades for their shields.

She had installed a new generator on Shepard’s suit before the mission, claiming it would make her shields much more powerful. The warrior had promised to try and recreate the power source she had used from her own personal belongings.

It had actually surprised Shepard that Revan had given her the upgrade in the first place. Apparently, she had only had a limited supply of those foreign power cells. She had insisted on installing it onto Shepard’s suit. It was a nice gesture, although she knew for the warrior it was entirely a matter of practicality.

Shepard was actually starting to like Revan, not just for her technology but as a person. She seemed more and more willing to share stories of her past with the crew. She was still a bit reclusive but she seemed to be getting better.

Although Shepard did have one problem with the warrior still. The stories she told were all well and good but she had still never really shared anything personal. She only spoke about what she had done and the war she fought in.

There was never anything about herself personally. Nothing about friends or family. Shepard could understand not wanting to talk about certain parts of one’s past, hell she was like that. But she did open up to people on occasion.

Garrus knew all about her past. True it had taken some time for her to tell him all of that but even before that she had been pretty open. People asked her personal questions all the time and she never really minded answering.

Was she being too hard on Revan? Maybe she was just setting some stupid standard for her. So what if she didn't want to reveal anything about her personal life? That was her business; Shepard didn't really need to know all of that.

She wanted to, but was it unfair to hold it against the warrior for not sharing it? To be fair she had never really asked Revan any personal questions…maybe she should, maybe the warrior would actually answer— Jesus was Kuril still bragging about his ship?

"When can I get Jack?" she asked, hiding the annoyance in her voice.

"Go down that hall to out processing. I will go and make sure the money has cleared." The Turian didn't wait for her to respond before he left down a different hallway.

"I thought he would never shut up," muttered Garrus.

"I imagined killing him the entire time," said Grunt, with a smile.

Shepard laughed as she headed down the hall; at least she had good friends. Yes, Grunt was brand new to the crew but dammit she liked him—she really did have a soft spot for Krogan. Oh how Revan would punch her right in the face if she knew.

Shit that thought really killed her good mood. Maybe she should just apologize to Revan for how she acted. She had never actually done that and she was starting to feel bad about it. The warrior had been trying to prove herself, and she deserved an apology. Shepard would talk to her when they got back.

They were almost at the door Kuril had mentioned. Off to the side she saw a guard kicking the living hell out of a prisoner in his cell.

"You don't even get good information that way," muttered Garrus. "Eventually they admit to anything just to make the pain stop."

Shepard stopped and looked at the scene. She was pretty sure that wasn't an interrogation. She stepped forward to the guard outside the cell.

"What's he in for?" This was a prison ship; the guy probably wasn't exactly innocent.

"He is a serial killer. Murdered sixteen people before he was caught. Seven of them were kids no older than ten."

So the guy definitely was a bastard. But was this guard just beating the hell out of him for the sake of it or was there an actual reason? Yeah, she didn't condone torture, but she wasn't sure if she would exactly defend someone like that.

"So, what's he doing?" she asked, inclining her head towards the guard inside the cell.

"One of the children was his cousin," the guard answered flatly, glancing back at the scene.

Shepard knew she could probably stop this, but did she want to? She remembered the confrontation with Revan when she had ripped information from that mercenary’s mind. She had berated the warrior for her methods, and then she had told Shepard about the mercenary’s past. Suddenly it didn't seem so bad. Revan was right; the galaxy wasn't black and white. People who caused that kind of pain and suffering deserved just as much in return, didn't they?

Shepard turned and continued down the hallway without saying another word. There was probably a time when she would have put a stop to that, even though the prisoner definitely fit the definition of evil. She would have told the guard that doing what he did just brought him down to the same piece of shit status as the prisoner. But she didn't find herself caring anymore.

If she was brutally honest with herself she could probably count the things she cared about on one hand. She hadn't always been like that, had she? Ever since her…reconstruction she had felt so wrong.

Her morals seemed to be taking a back seat more and more. Before her death she would have kicked Revan's ass for what she had done to that mercenary, but now she just didn't care.

 _It's just the reprogramming taking effect, don't worry about it_.

Shepard pushed the dark joke from her mind as she continued on. This was not the time for self-discovery; she had a mission to complete. She followed the signs to out-processing and opened the door. Shepard stared blankly at the cell while Garrus cocked his head slightly.

"Apologies Shepard," said Kuril over the ship com, "but you are more valuable as a prisoner than a client. Step inside and we won’t have a problem."

Shepard felt herself start to laugh, just a chuckle at first but then it developed into a full fledged laugh. She probably looked crazy right now but she didn't care—it was just so funny! He really expected her to just give up? Just like that? This warden really was something.

She turned, wiping a tear from her eye. God she hadn't had a good laugh in a while, maybe she was going mad. She glanced over to Garrus who was looking at her with some amusement while Grunt was rolling his shoulders, the look he gave her voicing his thoughts. " _Can I kill something now?"_ She grinned and pulled her shotgun free.

"Oh I am going to kill your stupid ass." She said with a final chuckle, knowing Kuril could hear her.

"Guards to out-processing!" shouted Kuril. In response the hallway doors opened and four guards ran through.

Shepard wasted no time in activating her charge to slam into the rear soldier, sending him flying. She spun, smashing a second in the face with the butt of her gun, staggering him a step before she shot him in the face, completely destroying his head.

Grunt charged in right behind her, slamming into the leader with his entire weight. She could hear the man's bones breaking as he slammed into a nearby wall before sinking to the ground, completely unmoving.

Garrus dropped the fourth guard with a very precise headshot; meanwhile Shepard had turned back to the first guard and shot him as he tried to rise. She signalled for the others to follow and continued around the hall. She almost reloaded her weapon before remembering Revan's upgrade.

The next group of guards came at them staggered, which was stupid. Garrus immediately dropped the first one to come around the corner with a double tap from his rifle. Grunt charged past her slamming his forehead into the second guard. The man dropped to the ground and the Krogan quickly shot him twice for good measure.

Shepard dealt with the final guard by simply unloading two rapid shots into his chest without breaking her stride. The others quickly reformed on her.

She walked through the door where a technician quickly turned and began firing a pistol wildly at her; only one of the three shots actually hit her before she dropped him with a quick blast.

"Idiot," muttered Grunt, stepping over the body without a second glance.

If the man hadn't shot at her she wouldn't have killed him—yeah idiot about summed it up. She quickly moved to the console and activated it; the man had been trying to move Jack before they got to the room.

Really? Kuril had been stupid enough to attack her fifty feet from the person she came here to get? Damn that was a stupid Turian. She began activating the release protocol when Garrus looked over her shoulder.

"That's going to open every cell on this block," he informed her. Damn she hadn't noticed that.

"This is why I usually let you handle computer work," she said, giving him a grin. "Any way to avoid that?"

"It’ll take a while; it's a security procedure. Can’t bust one person out without setting everyone else free."

"Well looks like we are about to have a prison riot on our hands." She looked over to Grunt, a gleam had entered his eye and she smiled at him. "Get the Krogan battering ram ready." Grunt did a rather slow laugh that sounded both intimidating and oddly…cute. Shit did she really just call a Krogan cute?

Shepard pushed the button and moved to the viewing window, gripping her shotgun tightly. They would have to get down to Jack quick then they could make their escape. The way back to the ship was far, but if everything went well five minutes and they would be out of here.

* * *

 

"No shit?" asked Zaeed, admiration clear in his voice. "I could use one of those Basilisks"

Miranda just caught the tail end of the conversation as she came into the cargo bay. The mercenary had wandered down here close to an hour ago. Revan had been working on a new upgrade for a sniper rifle and the two had been talking ever since.

"They were definitely an effective weapon. There was more than one battle where the bloody things rained like fire onto cities. Best way to take ‘em out was to kill the rider. ‘Course they could still work without a rider but they were less efficient."

Miranda had no idea what they were talking about, something from Revan's universe obviously. She had to admit that the other woman was intriguing. She had quickly shown herself to be a technological genius, the upgrades to their weapons had given them a huge edge over…well everyone.

Miranda had quickly sent the schematics of the new thermal clip back to the Illusive Man, which had caused the rarest of emotions in the leader. Surprise. Revan had very possibly changed the face of warfare in this galaxy, and she had done it in under a week! When she presented the upgrade it had almost been a half dismissal, like it wasn't much of an accomplishment.

Now Miranda had heard that the warrior had even upgraded their personal shield technology. Apparently, she had only been able to perform the upgrade once, and she had given it to Shepard, so Miranda had yet to get her hands on that technology.

She was confident that Revan would share it with her though. She could get Cerberus technicians to reproduce it on a massive scale, and that coupled with the weapons upgrades would give humanity a huge edge over the Reapers.

Yes, the woman definitely was fascinating. Not only was she a genius but she had proven herself to be an incredibly capable soldier. Then there was also her almost magical abilities. Humans had compared biotics to magic upon their discovery. Revan's abilities made biotics seem like cheap parlor tricks. Miranda had seen the helmet footage from the mission on Korlus. She had seen the warrior shoot lightning from her bloody hands.

What gave her these abilities? Was it similar to biotics? Professor Solus had taken a sample of her blood but according to her results there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. According to her blood she was just an ordinary human, but she was far from that.

Revan turned at her approach. She knew the warrior had the abilities to sense others, and she probably knew the second Miranda came into the room.

"Miss Lawson," Revan greeted, inclining her helmeted head in a nod.

She was not wearing her robe, just her red and black armor. In fact she hadn’t worn the robe in several days. Miranda even found the armor fascinating. It was incredibly heavy, but stronger than anything she had ever even heard of.

Yet, it did not look overly bulky. Sure it was not tight fitting armor by any means but usually such heavy armor would mean it was bulky. This armor seemed to be incredibly well crafted though, custom made to fit the wearer perfectly.

"Revan," she replied, smiling politely and returning the nod. "Zaeed."

The mercenary returned her nod, giving her a quick look up and down. Miranda barely even noticed as she was well used to it by now; she wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was attractive. It's how she had been made. At least the mercenary wasn't one of those cowards who tried to hide the fact that he was attracted to her—weak men were always annoying. Not to mention a turn off. Not that she could say she was even remotely attracted to the scarred man. Although she could at least appreciate his ruggedness.

"Well as much as I enjoy a meeting of the Aussies, I got a feeling this is going to be above my pay grade. Catch ya later Revan." Zaeed gave them both a nod before heading towards the elevator.

Miranda returned her attention back to Revan. 

"What can I do for you?" asked Revan. She began working on the internals of the sniper rifle, although she was not dismissing the Cerberus officer, merely multitasking.

"I actually came to ask you about the upgrades you made to our shield technology,"she said, glancing at her work as she spoke. Revan looked up at her before answering.

"I'm reducing the recoil on this piece of _osik._ " Her masked face glanced up at her as she answered, reading her mind and answering the unspoken question.

Miranda froze when she realized that was actually a possibility. Revan had promised that she wouldn't, but how would they know?

 "But about your original topic. I used a power source from my own shield device which proved to be much more powerful. It should yield very good results. Unfortunately, I only had the one and I gave it to the commander. I’m trying to construct more though."

Miranda nodded. If she could create those power sources from scratch then that would make the technicians’ jobs much easier. The Cerberus officer stood there watching the woman work, realizing that everything she had come down here to talk about had been answered in under a minute.

She could just turn around and leave now. It made sense, she didn't need anything else from the warrior. Yet she stood there watching her, trying to come up with something else to say. _What are you doing?_ Miranda couldn't answer herself as she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"What was that word you used? _Osik?_ " She repeated the word perfectly, despite its odd sounding nature. She had always been good at learning new languages. She was fluent in six human languages, three of them now dead ones.

"It's Mandalorian," Revan replied. She glanced up at her again. "Basically, means shit."

Miranda found herself smiling faintly. " _Osik_ ," she repeated to herself. "I like the sound of it." The language certainly had a different sound to it. She had heard her mutter a few words before but never anything more than that.

"Never took you for much of a curser," Revan said with a faint chuckle. She had stopped her work now and leaned lightly on the work bench beside the firing range, masked face staring at the Cerberus officer.

Without even seeing her eyes Miranda could feel the weight of that gaze. She had actually only seen the warrior’s eyes a few times during dinner. She usually wore her hood while she ate dinner, obscuring her eyes. But the first night Shepard had made Revan join them, and last night, she had been without the hood.

Miranda had never seen eyes like those before. It wasn't their color, no matter how nice that steel grey looked. What made them stand out was their depth, their weight. One look in this woman’s eyes and it was apparent that she had seen far too much war in her life.

She wasn't sure how old Revan was, thirty at most, yet she had eyes that Miranda hadn't even seen in eighty-year old black ops veterans.

“I could say the same for you,” Miranda replied. Revan was usually pretty formal in her speech. Although from the helmet footage she had noticed that went away during combat. Her accent also became far more pronounced.

“Heh.” Another faint chuckle answered her. “Mandalorians have more curse words than anyone else.”

"I enjoy learning new languages,” Miranda replied. “Not just curse words. It's a bit of a hobby of mine." She enjoyed learning new things in general, but languages had always been a passion of hers.

"Well you won't find another language like _Mando'a_ —that's the technical name for Mandalorian. It's a very unique language. In the past few millennia it’s changed very little."

"That's impressive," she said. Most languages underwent many changes throughout history, either due to natural progression or outside influences. "I don't think I’ve ever heard you say anything more than singular words though."

" _Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur,"_ Revan spoke as she crossed her arms, "Today is a good day for someone else to die. Kind of a Mandalorian motto."

Miranda had to admit that she did like the way that the language sounded. It had a truly unique sound, completely unlike anything she had ever heard before. In the back of her mind she also noted how nice it sounded with Revan's voice. Her accent also became far more pronounced when she spoke it.

Like the language she spoke, Revan had a very unique voice. It was strong, but still obviously feminine, perhaps veering into the more androgynous range. If Miranda were going to be poetic, she would describe Revan’s voice as smoky but smooth and rich as velvet. Revan had the kind of voice that could intimidate a Krogan if she wanted, yet at the same time it had the ability to be incredibly calming, almost enough to fall asleep to.

That last thought gave Miranda pause. She had never really thought that about anyone’s voice, much less another woman’s. She had seen very little of Revan, outside her armor. She was drawn to the woman intellectually. She could also admit that Revan was attractive…but was Miranda actually attracted TO the warrior? 

"I like the sound of it," she said, nodding quickly. She pushed those thoughts from her head, now was not the time. "It seems like a very straight forward language."

"It is. Mandalorian's don't mix words. We say what we mean, polite or not. We honor what we say as well. An adoption for example, is carried out by a single sentence. Once it’s said then that’s the end of it."

Miranda stared at the warrior, slightly shocked. "You adopt someone just by saying that you adopt them?"

That was ridiculous; adoption here was an entire process. There were papers to be signed, legal loopholes. All of it was usually designed to ensure the child went to a decent parent. It didn't always work but at least it was some kind of insurance.

"The Mandalorians are a very honor bound people. Nothing is more important than clan and family. An adoption is not something taken on lightly. When someone does adopt another they are vowing to protect and raise the child as their own flesh and blood. _Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad—_ I know your name as my child."

Miranda listened as Revan spoke the words. It seemed so illogical—all you had to do was say a single phrase and a child was yours? Yet even the phrase itself seemed so weighted. It seemed so touching. Revan was Mandalorian and Miranda could not imagine her ever uttering those words unless she truly meant them.

Miranda found the other woman’s views on the Mandalorians quite interesting. She fought against them, she defeated them, and yet she still considered herself one. From this talk it was clear that she still fervently believed in the people's core values and beliefs. She had said that they had lost their way and that was why she had fought them.

Either way it was still quite intriguing. It seemed that the language had deep ties in their culture. One could not likely learn the language without learning about the culture.

"I don't suppose you would be willing to teach me the language?" she asked, the thrill of learning exciting her.

"I was actually going to speak to the commander about that. I think it would be a good idea to teach everyone a few combat phrases. Your translator chips can't decipher the language so it would give us an edge in the field when we couldn't rely on secure coms for coordination."

Miranda had to admit that it was a very good idea. There was always the possibility of coms being hacked or jammed, requiring them to communicate when enemies could hear them. Yes, it was sound plan. Revan was proving that her stories about her accomplishments as a commander were not false.

"While I have you here, would you mind assisting me with something?"

The request caught her off guard; Revan had never actually asked her for help in any of these projects. "Of course," Miranda answered quickly.

Revan pushed herself off the bench and walked into the center of the cargo bay, and Miranda followed close behind. The warrior turned to face her then took a few steps back, holding out a hand for her to stay. She still had no idea what Revan was doing; she finally explained when they were about two dozen feet apart.

"I want you to cast a simple form of biotic attack towards me," Revan said simply.

Miranda cocked her head at the warrior slightly. "What?" She actually wanted to be attacked?

"I need to confirm a theory. It doesn't have to be anything powerful, just something simple." Revan squared off against her and nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

She gave Revan a wary look, unsure of exactly what she was doing. Miranda supposed that the warrior must have a reason though. Activating her biotics she threw a simple blast at forward. She felt the familiar tingle through her body as the blue orb flew from her hands and sailed towards Revan.

She thrust her hand out, almost as if she was going to catch it, but the orb simply struck her hand and staggered her back a step. Revan righted herself and looked at her hand--was she surprised by the result?

"That's what I thought," she muttered before looking back up at Miranda. "I can't sense biotic attacks, nor can I stop them with the force."

"You can sense attacks?"

"All force sensitive possess a form of precognition. My own abilities are extremely powerful, yet I can’t feel these attacks. I believe it has something to do with Element Zero, but I’m not certain. Either way, it's good to know. Thank you Miss Lawson," she said, inclining her head.

The Cerberus officer smiled slightly at the formality. "You can just call me Miranda."

Revan did not answer as she suddenly stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Miranda asked quickly.

"The commander is under attack," she replied quickly, moving past her with determined strides towards the elevator. "EDI raise the commander, she is under attack."

Miranda followed Revan to the elevator—they had gotten no word. It must be her powers again, and once more the Cerberus officer was impressed. They made it to the CIC where Revan quickly marched towards the airlock. Miranda now realized that the warrior was still armed with her lightsabers while she was unarmed.

"Revan we should wait until we hear from Shepard," she said. The woman’s intent was clear. Shepard would call them if she needed back up, although Miranda did admit this was troubling news.

"I have Shepard," said EDI. Immediately the woman's voice filled their coms.

"This is Shepard, we’re fine. Blue Suns tried to double cross us. We’re releasing Jack now, along with the whole cell block. Shouldn't take any longer than…huh."

"What is it?" asked Revan immediately. Her voice was completely calm but the soothing element had gone from it and it took on its more serious tone.

"Jack is small," said Shepard and the Krogan, Grunt, at the same time. "Shit those mechs are activating! Double time it down the—"

A loud explosion cut Shepard off, then a second one that shook both the Purgatory and the docked Normandy, sounded even louder.

"What just happened?" asked Miranda, immediately moving to a terminal to see the damages.

"Jack just blew a hole through the damn wall! We’re following, may be longer than five minutes." It was clear from her voice that Shepard had started running, another explosion rocked the ship.

"Come on! I wanna see how long she can last," laughed the Krogan.

"Shepard do you need backup?" asked Revan, taking another step towards the airlock.

"Negative, but keep an eye out for anyone trying to get on board. There's a riot going on now. Good chance this ship is going down and we have one of the only rides out of here. Keep you updated. Shepard out."

Shepard was correct. If the situation got bad then both guards and prisoners would be swarming to get onto the ship. How dare these pathetic mercenaries betray Cerberus! They really did have no idea who they were messing with.

Miranda quickly began sending a message to the Illusive Man, at the same time dispatching orders for EDI to assemble the crew to readiness. This could get very ugly.

She turned as she heard Revan continue walking towards the airlock. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I’ll go and hold the hallway, make sure the commander’s escape route is clear," she answered, not breaking stride.

"Call if you need help." She was confident that Revan could handle the situation herself. Still she was rousing the crew and they would all be on standby. Damn Blue Suns.

* * *

 

Shepard slammed the guard into the wall, arm against his throat as she fired her pistol four times into his chest. She let him fall and spun around, firing another shot through a charging prisoner’s head.

Grunt was to her right having the time of his life beating down a group of prisoners that had tried to rush her but the Krogan had intercepted them. Garrus was beside her giving the Krogan fire support, taking out the few prisoners that had managed to get guns.

The whole ship was coming down as Jack kept tearing her way through it. For such a small girl she certainly was a hurricane of destruction. Shepard moved forward and fired a shot with her carnifex, dropping a prisoner while Grunt grabbed the last by the collar and slammed his face down onto the prisoners, the force of the blow snapping his neck.

"Let’s keep moving!" Shepard shouted over the sound of the riot, explosions, and the ship’s automated warnings. Her squad quickly formed up on her and they ran through the next hole in the wall. "Normandy anyway you can track Jack?"

She rounded the corner, keeping her pistol up. A prisoner immediately ran at her, slamming into her before she could get a shot off. They wrapped their hands around her throat, eyes wild as they tried to choke the life from her.

Shepard smashed her fist into the side of the prisoner’s head. The grip on her neck weakened and she drove a knee into their gut. The prisoner doubled over and she grabbed them by the back of their collar and slammed their head into a nearby wall. Holding them up she shot them in the back of their head. Blood, brain, and bits of skull splattered across the wall and ground. She let the body fall without a second glance.

Shepard was not in a good mood. Jack would not stop running; the failing ship systems had released even more prisoners. But worst of all was that she lost her fucking shotgun! She had blown the head off a heavy mech only to be tackled to the ground by a stupid prisoner. The gun skidded from her hand towards the mech and had been lost in the explosion. This was not a good day—she really liked that gun.

"She is nearing the airlock where the Normandy is docked," said EDI. "So the trail of destruction shows anyway. The next room should take you near the main hallway where you can get to the airlock."

"Thanks EDI. Anyone try to get on the ship yet?"

This time Grunt took the lead down the hallway. The prisoners couldn't even knock him back a step if they got the drop on him.

"Revan went off ship to keep the hallway secure; she has only reported minor contacts."

"Alright keep me posted, Shepard out." She really hoped they found Jack before she reached the airlock, and Revan.

She knew that Revan would not do anything but Jack was on a warpath and if she tried to go up against Revan, well those two could probably destroy a city in a fight. They didn't have that much room.

Grunt stopped at the hole in the wall, and with a nod from her he moved through. The Krogan was doing very well. In the thick of combat he got a bit excited and liked to kill everyone as up close as possible, but he listened to orders fairly well and had yet to charge off on his own.

The room beyond was in complete chaos. Guards and prisoners fought across the entire room. On the far side she could see Kuril desperately trying to organize a defence, his Revenant cutting down groups of prisoners.

"Alright keep a tight formation. Grunt you take the lead, punch right through the room and get to the exit. No time to kill everyone, we need to get out of here."

Grunt just did his slow laugh while she and Garrus formed up slightly behind him. The Krogan bellowed as he charged forward, smashing prisoners and guards aside with one hand and firing his shotgun with the other.

Shepard raced to keep up with him, firing shots at anyone that tried to get too close. Garrus's Mattock was firing at a very high rate to keep up with the sheer number of hostiles. Shepard was really wishing she had packed a third weapon for this trip. She usually brought a rifle along but she had opted to give the Mattock she had upgraded to Garrus, not thinking she would need one.

A guard fired a burst at her as they ran past his position. Shepard staggered slightly but her shields held and she fired four quick rounds back at him, two striking him in the chest. She didn't stop running as the guard returned fire, but this was much more inaccurate and was quickly cut off as he was swarmed by prisoners.

"So this is what it feels like," muttered Shepard, shooting a prisoner in the head as they came up on Grunt’s side.

"Like what feels like?" asked Garrus, Mattock still firing.

"Being the one following." She glanced over at Grunt, laughing at the change in perspective "You're all just staring at my ass the whole time aren't you?"

"What ass?"

"Oh fuck you!" If she hadn't needed to shoot a guard in the head then she definitely would have tripped him.

Garrus just laughed and continued to cut down the enemy. They were almost at Kuril and the few guards that had rallied to him.

"Shift fire forward! Take out Kuril and his men!" Shepard shouted over the chaos and began firing at the guard to Kuril's left, who had a missile launcher. Garrus dropped one carrying a sniper while Grunt was charging right for one who was glistening with tech armor.

Kuril and the guards quickly returned fire but Grunt’s sudden burst of speed brought him right into their midst. Shepard activated her charge and followed the young Krogan. Her target was Kuril and she slammed right into him.

The Turian was thrown back, his weapon firing wildly as he flew through the air. Shepard began following him but was thrown forward as pain exploded in the back of her skull. She smacked into the ground, quickly rolling over to see a guard standing over her preparing to shoot.

She entwined her legs with the guards and with a flex of muscle threw the man to the ground, using the momentum of his fall to pull her up. Shepard slammed a fist into the guard’s face before throwing a second, biotical infused punch into his throat, killing him almost instantly.

She rolled off the dead guard, snatching up her pistol as she rose. Immediately she staggered back as Kuril opened fire on her. Not even her upgraded shields could last long beneath the torrent of fire. She hissed in pain as the shields died and a bullet flew into her arm, then her shoulder. Thank god that gun was inaccurate as hell.

Kuril shouted in pain and the fire stopped. She looked up to see him holding his bloodied hand

"Dammit!" shouted Garrus

Shepard immediately knew her friend had just saved her life. She wasted no time in running right at Kuril. Ignoring her wounds she slammed into the Turian, throwing him up against the wall. He drove an elbow into her back, and in response she drove a knee between his legs. She still wasn't sure how much that hurt Turians, but she still knew it hurt. She followed the knee up with a punch to his unarmoured head.

Kuril staggered, swinging a wild elbow that smashed right into her face, going under her visor to connect with her mouth and the bottom of her nose. Shepard immediately tasted blood but ignored it as she drove another knee into the warden’s gut before throwing him to the ground.

Kuril groaned loudly and she was quickly on top of him, throwing another punch into his face.

"You!" another punch "Should!" another punch—this one hit his mandible and tore it backwards, the warden screamed in pain—"Have!" she threw a final punch. "Taken the damn money!" Shepard rose from the wounded Turian, picking up her pistol and his Revenant "Lets get out of here!" she called to her companions.

Grunt finished killing the guard he was fighting while Garrus quickly ran up to her.

"What about him?" asked Grunt, looking at Kuril who was still on the ground.

"Either the ship blows up and he dies, or the prisoners kill him. Let's get moving." She hated double crossers, especially arrogant ones. She didn't give Kuril a second glance as they ran out the door.

“Nice shot by the way,” she added as they moved.

“I was aiming for his head,” Garrus replied, his voice almost ashamed. Shepard just laughed in response.

The hallway beyond had several bodies scattered throughout it, and she saw the unmistakable form of Jack running ahead of them. Shepard ran as fast as her body would allow, and the door hadn't even closed from Jack's exit by the time they reached it.

Shepard stopped as they entered the room. A dozen bodies were scattered about the room, most of them piled up near the small hallway leading to the airlock door, which was blocked by the unmistakable form of Revan. Still out of her robes, one lightsaber was glowing in her left hand.

Jack had stopped and was staring at Revan. She turned and looked at Shepard as they came in.

"Who the fuck are you?" she demanded, glaring at Shepard.

"Commander Shepard, I came to recruit you for a mission I’m on. Look we can talk about this later, right now we should get off this ship." She really had no idea how this was going to go down, but she was thankful that Revan was here. She was probably the only one who could stop Jack if things went bad.

"I don't even know you. Why the hell should I trust you?"

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but we should really discuss that on a ship that isn't about to explode." She could still hear the automated warning going off through the ship, and that accompanied by the occasional shudder or explosion made her point even clearer.

"Who do you work for?" Jack was glaring at her now—it was clear she wasn't going to trust easily.

"I am a council Spectre, Cerberus asked me—"

"Cerberus?" shouted Jack, anger prominent in her voice—her whole body went blue with biotic power.

"I am not Cerberus!" Shepard said quickly. She really didn't want this to turn into a fight. Another explosion rocked the ship. They were out of time. "Look I'll explain everything, but we need to get off this ship! I promise that I mean you no harm, shit I hate Cerberus too. It’s complicated, but I am not Cerberus."

If this didn't work then either they would have to leave Jack behind or somehow subdue her. They couldn't stay here any longer.

"You try anything and I will kill every last one of you," growled Jack, her eyes narrowing on Shepard, then her companions.

"Fine, lets go!" She didn't wait for Jack as she ran past her towards the airlock. Revan stepped aside as she came. She gave the warrior a nod, stopping across from her to usher everyone past.

"Who the fuck is the dude with the laser sword?" asked Jack, the last one to move past them. She stopped and glanced back at Revan, looking her up and down. Shepard had almost forgotten how easy is was to mistake Revan for a man when she was fully armoured.

"She’s a friend, can we please keep moving?"

"Whatever."

Shepard repressed a sigh as she moved towards the airlock, Revan walking beside her. She heard the other woman deactivate her lightsaber before returning it to her belt. They followed jack through the airlock and onto the Normandy.

"Grunt, Garrus, good work, you’re dismissed. Joker, get us out of here." She turned to look at Jack. "If you follow me then we can answer whatever questions you have."

They headed across the CIC, getting curious looks from the crewmen. Jack was glaring at everybody. Garrus and Grunt broke off at the armory doors to head for the elevator, and Revan continued to follow her. Shepard was silently thankful for that, as she was going to ask her to follow anyway; she would need support if things got bad.

They entered into the briefing room where Miranda was already waiting. Jack immediately started glaring at the brunette. Shepard just repressed another sigh as she moved to the head of the table, taking off her helmet and setting it on the table. Revan stood to her left, clearly putting herself between Shepard and Jack. Which oddly made her want to smile…Shepard pushed that aside quickly.

"Okay Jack, as promised I’ll tell you everything." So Shepard began to explain about the Collectors, the abductions, how Cerberus was the only one willing to stop them, and Miranda made a few interjections as she went. "But I want to stress that this is my mission, I’m in command. I do not answer to Cerberus. They gave me the resources to do this, that is it."

"Maybe you should tell cheerleader that," scoffed Jack. "Alright look, you got me off that ship. Here's the deal. I want access to all of Cerberus's files, especially their ones on me. I get that and I’ll help you out with your little mission, for now."

"Deal," Shepard answered immediately. She had no problems giving Jack the information she wanted. The Illusive Man could shut up if he had a problem.

"You try to fuck with me and I will make your pretty face nothing but a smear on the wall."

"Well at least you think I’m pretty,” Shepard replied with a grin, trying to lighten the situation. It didn’t work. “You’ll have full access. You decide to help me, fantastic, you want out then say the word and we’ll drop you off anywhere." Shepard stared at Jack the entire time she answered. She was completely serious. She wanted Jack's help willingly. The decision would be hers.

"Fine, get me the files. I'll be down in the hold somewhere. Keep your people away from me." With that Jack left the room. Miranda just shook her head before leaving a moment later.

"Well that went better than expected," Shepard said with a faint chuckle.

"Jack is...very interesting. I’ve only met one other person who was filled with so much hatred and rage," added Revan, still looking at the door.

"Shit I keep forgetting you can sense people’s inner emotions." Although Jack seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve…if she had sleeves. She would really need to talk about getting her some clothes.

She looked over to Revan, who was still looking at the door. She really couldn't imagine how it felt to be able to sense someone's feelings; she could only imagine how much hate Jack contained inside, if it was already so obvious on the outside.

"Who's the other person?" she asked. She had never met anyone as angry as Jack.

Revan was silent for several seconds. "My apprentice, Malak."

"Apprentice? You had students?" She didn't really see the warrior as the teacher type. Then again she was full of surprises.

"Just the one. I was a more powerful Jedi than him. He followed my examples; I taught him new ways of the force."

Revan's voice was devoid of any emotion as she spoke but Shepard hardly noticed. She was just amazed that she was actually sharing a piece of herself that wasn't a war story. That was all Revan seemed to talk about. But now she was talking about a student. They had probably been friends as well.

"What happened to him?" she asked carefully.

"He’s dead," Revan replied, then walked out of the room, leaving Shepard alone.

Had she struck a nerve? She probably had—they must have been friends. But Revan had said that Malak had been as full of hated and rage as Jack. Why would he be so angry? Revan didn't seem like that kind of person. She always seemed very in control of her emotions. Maybe she could ask her about it later.

Shepard was surprised the warrior had told her any of that, but it made her smile slightly. She was actually excited by the prospect of getting to know Revan. She was definitely an interesting person. However, Shepard was not going to hold it against the woman if she didn't want to tell her everything. Revan had proved herself willing to help and—shit she hadn’t apologized!

Shepard quickly grabbed her helmet and followed Revan. She was so preoccupied that she forgot all about her wounds and blood smeared face. She caught up to the warrior just as she was entering the elevator, and the redhead almost had to dive inside to make it before the doors closed.

"Revan!" she called. "I need to tell you something."

"Yes?"

Shepard sucked in a breath. She really hoped the other woman would accept it. "I wanted to apologize for how I treated you. When you first offered to help, I turned you away. Then after I demanded that you earn my trust. I’m sorry; I had no right to treat you with such suspicion. It was unfair of me and I hope you can forgive me. I recognize that you’ve been trying to help; I know that you’re telling those stories so the crew can get to know you. It means a lot."

"Thank you, Commander."

"And I’m sorry it took me this long to apologize. I was thinking about it today and I realized that it’s unfair of me to hold it against you for not telling any real personal information about yourself. I get it, some things you don't want to talk about." She took in a breath. Damn this was really going on longer than she had thought it would.

She had just been planning to say sorry, but here she was explaining everything to the warrior. Shepard just wanted her to know, to understand where she was coming from.

"And this whole trust thing is a two-way street." She gestured between them as she continued. "I realized that I have to earn your trust too. So from now on I’m going to work on that. Anything you want to know, you just have to ask—Oh and this isn't a bargain, you don't have to give me information about yourself in exchange for mine. You don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I would like it if you did but I’ll understand if you don't. You have proven invaluable Revan. You have my trust."

The elevator doors opened for the cargo bay but neither of them moved, it took almost a full minute for Revan to respond.

"Thank you, Commander, and apology accepted."

Shepard couldn't help but smile. Her voice still sounded very stoic but she could also detect a certain…sincerity to it. She was shocked when Revan put her hand forward and rested it on the redhead’s shoulder.

She was about to ask what Revan was doing when she felt a pain where the bullet wounds were, also on her cut lip and nose. The process only took a few seconds before Revan pulled back her hands. She could instantly feel that all her wounds had been healed.

"My apologies for not healing them earlier."

"Don't worry about it!" she replied quickly, with a chuckle. "I forgot about them too. Thank you.” She gave a smile. “I should probably go get cleaned up. See you at supper?"

"Of course." Revan nodded and stepped out of the elevator. Oddly she kept watching her even as she pushed the button for her cabin and the doors closed.

Shepard still couldn't help but smile though. She felt way better now. It was nice to clear the air. She meant everything she had told Revan, and while she wouldn't push her, she did hope Revan opened up a little bit more. It would be good to get to know the warrior.

* * *

 

Revan stared at the closed elevator doors. She was completely stunned by the commander’s…sincerity. She hadn't uttered a word of a lie. Everything had been the truth, she meant everything. Why? Revan could not figure out why she was being so kind all of a sudden. Yes, she had given them several technological advantages, but so what! That shouldn't have meant this much.

The commander also knew what Revan was doing with her stories! She knew that the warrior was purposely avoiding any personal topics. She knew and she did not care. She said there was no longer a concern about trust.

Why the hell had Revan even told her about Malak? She could have lied, made up someone, just said a soldier in the war. Why had she even given her that much—dammit why did she have to be so fucking nice!

Revan spun and stormed back into her room, trying not to smash the hell out of everything in the whole cargo bay. Why was the commander being this way? Why was she being so fucking accepting of her? Why was she so much like HER! She had sounded so much like HER that Revan had actually seen her face for a moment.

Revan dropped down into her chair, and the console immediately flared to life at her presence. She looked up and it showed the last thing she had been doing—the force was certainly cruel today.

She had been transferring data stored on her helmet to the terminal so she could have more space. Staring at her now was a picture she had taken of Meetra Surik, her bright blue eyes staring directly into Revan’s grey ones; her mask offered no protection from that gaze.

Revan’s emotions completely overrode all thought and she slammed her fist through the display, but there was nothing physical to connect with. Growling in rage she shot from her seat and threw the console on the ground, it shattered into several pieces.

Revan stumbled, her mind going wild. Rational thought was abandoned, forgetting that all the data was automatically backed up on the other terminals. Everything she had repressed, every single emotion was flooding to the surface and she could not stop it.

" _Shab, shab, shab!"_ She dropped to the ground, hands shaking as she grabbed the pieces. What had she done? She destroyed it, she couldn't see her face—no! Her face was still in Revan’s mind! Her eyes were still there!

She needed to turn it off! Make it go away! Revan wrenched her helmet off, followed quickly by both her gauntlets. The second the metal hit the floor her unprotect fist slammed into the ground. Right, then left.

She could feel her skin breaking after the second strike. Each following strike left behind more blood. Her mind began to empty. All she could feel was the physical pain. This she could deal with. She could—needed to focus on this. Do precisely enough damage. Too much and it would be beyond her skill to heal, risking permanent damage. Too little and her thoughts would drift.

Revan’s mind emptied of everything, feeling only her fists colliding with the metal floor. She felt when her knuckles broke, earning a growl of pain. She felt the pain shooting up her arm in sharp needles—every punch was now agony. It was enough.

Pulses of pain worked through her hands and up her arms. It was all she could feel. It was all she wanted to feel. She leaned back, resting against the cool metal crates that made up her wall. She closed her eyes, concentrating on nothing but the pain. Physical pain she could deal with, it was the only pain she would allow herself to suffer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandalorian translations;
> 
> osik- shit.  
> shab- shit, fuck, basically an angry expletive. 
> 
> Bonus points to those who spotted the firefly reference!


	11. The Past

**Planet Lucazec, Surface.**

The officer looked nervous as he waited. To his credit he did not flinch at loud explosions of artillery in the distance, nor the sound of heavy fighting all around them. He had just delivered his report and now he was waiting for Revan's response. As much as these soldiers praised her as a hero they were still nervous at delivering bad news.

Deep down she knew they were afraid of her. They all knew what she could do, although she had never actually done anything terrible to anyone under her command—force knew she wanted to sometimes.

Revan turned from the officer and looked back to the large planetary display. That damn coward had potentially cost them this battle. Their left flank was now completely exposed and the Mandalorians were rushing towards her command post right now. If they took this position then all communications would break down and command would crumble.

The most logical course of action would be to deploy her reserve troops to counter the Mandalorians and shore up the line. However, her foes had also made a mistake. They were overzealous in their charge, eager to kill her and destroy the Republic command. They had diverted the majority of their reserve units to push through the hole in her lines.

If what she was seeing was correct… "Malak give me a report," she demanded, speaking into her com.

"That bastard Voran pulled back and the Mandalorians are heading right for you," said the gruff voice of her apprentice. Revan could hear blaster fire in the background, the shouts of soldiers and the screams of the dying.

"I was just informed. What’s your situation?" Revan tried to hide the irritation in her voice as she spoke. Malak should have known that information had already been passed along.

"We’re still moving forward, they moved off their reserve units to push through the gap. Only a token force is trying to roll up our lines though. The majority are pushing towards you, I can— Get the fuck back into formation!" Malak screamed to his soldiers. "I can send a company your way to delay them at least."

"Negative, I’m deploying twelfth company to your position. The Mandalorians weakened their position. Push forward and move into the city. Coordinate your attack with Danton's men." If everything went well then they would smash through the weakened Mandalorian lines and get to the city, cutting off the retreat of the forces heading towards her.

"Copy. Think you can handle all those Mandalorians yourself?" asked Malak with a chuckle.

Revan grinned in response. "I'll show them how a real Mandalorian fights." Malak was one of the few people who knew her true heritage. Most people just assumed she wore the armor of a Mandalorian because of its superb quality, which was partly true she supposed. If she hadn't had her own suit then she probably would have procured one by now.

"See you in the city. Malak out."

The com went dead and Revan turned back to the officer. She had almost forgotten the man was there.

"Strip Voran of command and throw him into twelfth company, then order them to Malak's position," Revan said, moving past the officer and heading out of the tent.

The officer saluted and ran off. Hopefully Voran would go down fighting one way or another. She quickly pushed thoughts of the coward from her mind as she headed towards the edge of her command post, summoning her officers with a quick signal on the com.

Her position was on a cliff side that over looked the battlefield. From the ground there was only one approach and her forces were massing there, taking up firing positions behind the well-constructed barricades. Revan always insisted on a well-fortified CP in the field, a decision that had proved invaluable on multiple occasions.

There were roughly fifty soldiers present to defend the location, including the officers. She would keep com staff and other specialist out of combat unless absolutely necessary. It was always a pain in the ass when one of them got taken out.

As she neared the front, four figures detached themselves from organizing the defenders to present themselves before Revan. Two Jedi, both male and wearing the robes of the order, but a suit of republic trooper armor was visible underneath. The other two officers were non-Jedi, one male and one female, clad in heavy suits of armor. All of them saluted at her approach.

Revan nodded to them and they all relaxed "We’re going to hold off the Mandalorian advance here. I have ordered our remaining forces to push forward and secure the city. We must either route the enemy or hold on long enough for aid to come."

The officers all saluted again in their answer, not a second of hesitation from any of them. Revan smiled to herself—they were a very loyal bunch. She returned the salute before dismissing them.

She walked through the assembled defenders, nimbly leaping on top of the front most barricades to look out across the field. She could already sense the enemy closing in—they were filled with hated and anger. Yes, they were very eager to kill her. Revan grinned; they would be reckless in their attack.

Her advanced HUD was able to zoom in and make out a dozen tanks storming ahead of the main infantry advance. They would be fools if they tried to charge up the hill. The size of the road up the hill meant only one of the large vehicles could pass at a time. No, they would hold back and be used more as an artillery unit; they would hammer this position before the infantry attacked.

"Allik, Polin, on me," she spoke through her com, immediately sensing the two Jedi moving to her side. "We need to take out those tanks. Allik protect us from incoming fire. Polin, you know what to do."

Neither of the Jedi were as powerful as her, but they were still a force to be reckoned with. The tanks were not in range, but they were close enough for her. Revan reached out with her left hand, and almost instantly one of the tanks lifted into the air, its treads still moving. She closed her fist and watched as the machine crumpled into a twisted ball of metal.

Keeping the large ball in the air Revan jerked her hand to the side, watching as the remains of the tank slammed into its neighbor, crushing through its body and turning it to scrap. The tanks had gotten closer now and Polin had begun to work his own powers, ripping the turret from one tank, rendering it useless.

Revan threw the two tanks she had destroyed; they crashed into the advancing infantry, easily killing a dozen. Now that the machines were closer she could use her powers to an even greater effect.

Reaching out to the rear tank, she rotated its turret towards the lead machine, then she activated the firing mechanism. The super-heated plasma slammed into the unprotected rear of the lead vehicle, tearing through the body and into the main compartment, killing the crew.

She smiled as the formation was thrown into chaos. She fired at another tank, hitting it in the side—it took two hits to bring it down. By now the other vehicles had opened fire on the rogue tank, destroying it in barrage of plasma. Polin had also racked up two more kills in this time.

The remaining vehicles continued towards the CP. Now within range they opened fire. Three of the four shots smashed harmlessly into the mountain side, while the final one headed straight for the line. Before it could impact the bolt veered to the side, hitting only dirt and rock.

Revan ripped one of the tanks in half, using the remains to pummel a second into a heap of scrap. Polin pulled off the remaining two turrets in quick succession. Revan lowered her hands and looked over to the two Jedi.

"Good work, now get ready for the real fight."

The two Jedi nodded and moved back to rejoin the front line. Revan turned to face her assembled soldiers. "Soldiers of the Republic! Let's show these fools how real warriors fight!" Revan ignited her lightsaber as she spoke, holding it high above her head.

There was a resounding cry from her soldiers that made her smile. These were soldiers she had personally picked for her command retinue; many often accompanied her into battle. These were real warriors. These men and women were more Mandalorian than most of the soldiers in the army they were fighting.

Revan turned to face the charging enemy. The infantry were close enough to open fire now, but they were at maximum range. The few shots that would have hit she easily deflected with her lightsaber. As they got closer she finally jumped off the barricade and took her position and moved to the front line. Her soldiers opened fire as the enemy came closer, and the concentrated wall of blaster bolts brought down the leading Mandalorian soldiers in quick order.

It only took a few moments before the enemy pulled their act together and returned fire in a disciplined and effective manner. The Republic soldiers took cover behind the barricades, while Revan and the other Jedi pulled back behind the front lines. Standing at the front would be a pointless endeavor--there would be too much blaster fire for them to turn aside. Besides the barricades would provide good protection for the soldiers. They didn't need the Jedi for that.

It was still too early for them to charge forward. The enemy numbered around two hundred; they needed to thin their numbers before engaging in melee. Luckily this location meant they had to charge the Republic positions head on, as there was no other way around. They would have to move into what was essentially a funnel, right into a perfect kill zone.

One of the Republic soldiers fell, howling in pain—a bolt had struck him in the center of his chest. Revan could still feel that the man was alive, but the wound was bad. She quickly reached out with the force and began healing the wounded trooper.

"Thank you sir," said the soldier, grunting as he rose. Without hesitation he retook his former position and continued firing down at the Mandalorians.

Revan felt a surge of pride at seeing the soldier's dedication. Yes, she was surrounded by true Mandalorians. Almost as if the enemy were reading his thoughts a shout went up from the Mandalorian lines.

"Die _Aruetii!_ " shouted one of the Mandalorian sergeants. He was organizing his men to steadily push forward.

Rage began to course through Revan at the shout. That scum dared to call her soldiers non-Mandalorians? These bastards had no claim to the honor of being Mandalorian! They were honourless butchers! The men and women with her were true examples of Mandalorians!

Revan ignited both her lightsabers—their ranks had been thinned enough. She pushed to the front line and used the force to propel her into the enemy ranks; she came to a stop right in front of the _Aruetii_ sergeant. With one swift motion she had removed the scum’s head and stabbed another soldier through the heart.

She spun to the side, avoiding a hail of blaster fire, coming to a halt in the midst of another group of enemies. She slashed one across the chest while cutting a second’s arm off before decapitating him. One of the enemy tried to pull his sword free but Revan ran him through before he got the chance. Without even looking she deflected the sword descending on the back of her head. Pulling her lightsaber from the enemies' chest she spun at a crouch, slicing her attacker across the gut.

She didn't watch the foe fall before she moved to the next one. They blocked the lightsaber going for their neck but they didn't even see the second one that was rammed up into their chest. Revan spun to avoid the bolt going for her head. She reached out with the force and snapped the shooter’s neck as she came back to a rise.

Polin and Allik had followed her into the fray, cutting through the enemy with her. The soldiers at the barricades had fanned out along the cliff’s edges and were firing down on the enemy, while a squad of troops trained specially by Revan had followed her into the fray; they gripped swords in one hand and extremely powerful blasters in the other.

Revan grinned at seeing them charge into the midst of the enemy. They were just as fierce as any Jedi. She ran further into the enemy, the Jedi and her elite squad following her in. The enemy were still numerous and pored a torrent of fire onto her at every opportunity. Where her agility and powers fell short the few shots that got through were easily turned aside by armor.

She had just decapitated another soldier when she opened her com in response to the feeling she got through the force. "What are you doing?" she demanded gruffly as she drove her knee into an enemy's gut before stabbing them through the back.

The response she got was twofold. First came a strong feeling of irritation, but deep down was buried concern. Next was a streak of fire from the sky that headed straight for the battle. The Mandalorians looked up, obviously thinking it was a Basilisk. Their hopes would soon be crushed.

Revan continued tracking the object in her peripherals as she cut down three more of the enemy. The object slammed into the middle of the enemy ranks—it was no Basilisk. What it looked like was a large teardrop shaped cargo container with thrusters. Which is essentially what it was.

The doors of the object blew off and a dozen figures came storming out. All of them were outfitted like Revan's elite squad, save for the figure in the lead. The double silver blade was a blur as it cut down the enemy as if they were nothing.

Revan quickly jumped back into the fray, cutting the legs out from a hulking enemy soldier before stabbing him through the heart. Just what was she doing down here? She was supposed to be commanding the space battle!

Revan wanted to be mad at her; this was a serious breach of protocol! She was essentially abandoning her post! But try as Revan might she could not muster any anger towards her for more than a few seconds.

Revan spun, her foot connecting with a foe’s face, knocking the man back, and she slashed across a woman's chest before her sword could strike home. Revan threw a lightsaber through the chest of the man she had kicked, turning to deflect a high chop of a sword; she thrust out her free hand, pulling the lightsaber back into her hand then she slashed across the attackers exposed midsection, severing them in half.

Her immediate area clear she glanced over to Meetra. She had thrust her lightsaber through the chest of an enemy; she then spun in a full circle, the double blade cutting down two more of the foe who tried to advance on her.

A red armored sergeant charged her with a sword, while another came up behind her. She leapt into the air, both feet kicking the sergeant in the chest, throwing him back and propelling her backwards where impossibly she landed on the shoulders of her rear attacker. She wrapped her legs tightly around the enemy’s neck and with a single fluid motion she twisted sharply to the side. The soldier went limp and as they fell she easily threw the body over her, using the momentum to land at a crouch, where she impaled the sergeant with her silver blade.

As always Revan was awestruck as she watched her fight. It sent Revan’s heart racing and completely entranced her every time. Meetra was without a doubt the most beautiful sight she had ever seen in her life. As the smaller woman decapitated an enemy with a flourish their eyes locked and Revan felt her heart beat even harder.

By now the enemy was in full retreat. They had lost almost two thirds of their forces in the attack, and by now Malak should have secured the city. This battle was over. Revan gave a quick order for her forces to regroup at the CP and see to the wounded. As the soldiers began moving back she nodded to those that passed, but her eyes never left Meetra. She stood staring at Revan, nearly twenty feet away.

Revan could sense Meetra’s anger and frustration towards her. It was as easy as feeling her own emotions. Their bond was so strong that Revan could sense her from across the galaxy; this meant that feelings and emotions flowed easily between them. Revan also knew exactly why Meetra was upset, partly because of their bond, but also just because she knew the other woman.

Despite her anger, Revan still found herself distracted by just staring at the smaller Jedi. She was wearing a deep grey and red suit of Mandalorian armor. It matched Revan’s helmet perfectly, because they belonged to the same person. One of the few Mandalorians who still had honor.

She had died trying to stop that scum Cassus Fett from murdering the people of Cathar. Revan had found her mask on the shore where she had died alongside the innocent populace. It was that day that Revan vowed to destroy these so called Mandalorians. She vowed to see them pay for their crimes. She wore this helmet in honor of that Mandalorian, for the sacrifice she had made. They had found the armor the next day and Meetra had worn it ever since. She had said it was to honor the woman but Revan knew there was something more to it.

Meetra was walking towards her now. Her chestnut hair was pulled up into a tail—she had never liked the Jedi tradition of braids. Her eyes were a stunning mixture of brown and green. The color would often shift to favor one or the other, right now they had shifted to a more brown tone, almost taking on a beautiful red hue.

She stopped right in front of Revan, not saying a word, and she could tell that Meetra was purposely masking her emotions from the warrior. She reached up and pulled Revan’s helmet free, staring directly into her eyes.

Revan found herself frozen in place. It amazed her how easily the smaller woman could do this to her. How easily she could send Revan’s heart racing, make her mind blank and think of nothing but Meetra. A smile tugged at soft lips and Revan finally let out the breath she had been holding. She was then slapped across the face.

"Are you stupid?" Meetra demanded, glaring at her. She stopped masking her emotions and the anger and annoyance flooded back through their bond. However Revan could feel that her surface feelings were born of concern.

"What?" Revan asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. She couldn't resist teasing her now.

"Next time call for reinforcements, you damn fool!" Meetra growled, clearly not amused.

"We could have handled it. Just what the hell were you thinking, abandoning your post?" Revan felt her own flicker of annoyance at remembering the other woman’s actions, although she was certain it was partially due to Meetra’s feelings influencing her. Otherwise Revan wouldn't have been upset for more than a few seconds.

"We already won the battle! The Mandalorians pulled out of the system. Then we got a transmission that your command post was under attack and you diverted the reserve units to the front!" Her voice was quiet but was still bristling with anger.

"We were handling it just fine. We had an excellent position and—"

"You should have called for reinforcements!" she shouted, her voice finally breaking from an angry growl. "You were heavily outnumbered, what if you had…" her voice fell away and so did her anger, the concern suddenly rushing to the surface and overpowering everything else. "I am not going through that again, I will not." Her voice took back its hard tone as she fixed her eyes on Revan again.

So that's what it was all about. It had only been a week since she had been captured and nearly executed, and ever since then Meetra had been on edge. The fact was if it hadn't been for her, Revan would be dead. But it was also the reason they had to come back and retake this planet for a second time.

Revan quickly pushed those thoughts aside, once more her inability to be upset with Meetra winning out.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, leaning forward to rest her forehead against the shorter woman’s. Revan was usually against showing this level of affection in public. But she could feel how upset Meetra was. She also supposed that the other woman was right. The enemy had been numerous, and there was a chance they would have been overwhelmed.

She leaned into Revan, foreheads still touching. "I…I know I shouldn't doubt you like that, it's just—"

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Revan pulled back, a faint grin on her face. "I guess it's about time someone tried to keep my stupidity in check." She poured her feelings through their bond, letting Meetra share in the happiness that she felt because of her.

Meetra smiled back at her, mood beginning to lift. "I was the only one with the patience," she mumbled, still trying to sound angry but failing miserably.

"Wouldn't want anyone else."

Her smiled broadened and she surprised Revan by leaning forward and pressing their lips together. It only lastde a few seconds but the warrior savored every bit of it. The act showed just how concerned Meetra had truly been, also how much she cared. They never did anything like that in public.

Revan just let her feelings pour over their bond and almost immediately all Meetra’s previous feelings were gone. They now mirrored Revan’s own. As they walked back up to the command post she was pleased to see Meetra’s trademark smile was back. Her emotions were so powerful that it made Revan smile. She quickly put her helmet back on before the troops could see.

By the time they arrived in the city the crowds had already gathered to greet them. Revan marched with Meetra and her remaining forces; they wound through the crowded streets towards the main government building.

"Okay everyone get some rest, we move out tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred." Revan spoke into her com as she and Meetra entered the large building. Her troops quickly saluted before moving off towards the military complex just on the edge of town.

There were still numerous blast marks on both the outside and inside of the building. Republic soldiers were still clearing away the bodies as she walked through the halls, all of them giving a sharp salute as they passed.

When they entered into the interior reception area, Malak was waiting. His arms were crossed as he spoke with two officers. His red armor was scorched by blaster fire and he had a small cut above his brow. His bald head turned to look at Revan and Meetra as they entered the room. He said something to the officers before they saluted and left for their duties.

"I see you’re still alive," Malak said with a nod to Revan. "Although I guess you did have some help." His face contorted into a sneer as his gaze shifted to Meetra, who did not react in the slightest. She was still perfectly calm.

"Good work today Malak." She was still smiling as she spoke to the taller man.

"I trust you didn't abandon your post in the middle of battle again?"

Revan just rolled her eyes, holding in her sigh. To say Malak was not a fan of Meetra would have been an understatement. The man detested her; he had from almost day one. Revan knew that it was all born of jealousy. The fact of the matter was that Meetra was more powerful, skilled, and a better commander. It also did not help that Revan had given her command of nearly half of all the Republic and Jedi forces, whereas Malak only commanded a small portion by comparison.

"The battle was well won and over when I came to Revan's aid." Meetra's pleasant demeanor hadn't faltered at all, and she was still smiling at Malak. "By the way, excellent work on capturing the city. I understand you did it in very short order."

Malak's sneer only deepened. His inability to annoy the woman frustrated him further. "Bah, they had only a token force in the city. The fools had thrown most of their troops at us outside. Once we smashed through their lines it was simple." He finally looked over to Revan. "The deposed government is on the way here, those that still live at least. I’ll let you deal with them."

"Good work Malak. Go rest up and see to your troops. Make sure they are ready for departure tomorrow."

The tall man nodded to Revan and threw a final sneer at Meetra before stalking away. Revan didn't hold in her sigh this time. That man really got on her nerves sometimes. There wasn't any logical reason for him to hate Meetra, but then Malak was not a creature driven by logic—he was ruled by his emotions. Although his emotions had become increasingly dark the longer this war went on. More and more her friend was filling with hate and anger.

This war was changing everyone; Revan was not blind to that. Even she was changing. She had never fully agreed with the Jedi teachings. There were many rules that were narrow minded and born of fear and ignorance. The Jedi had refused to fight in this war; they had refused to stop the slaughter of millions. The day they had denied that had been the day when what faith she had in the order died.

How could they call themselves guardians of the people when they stood by and let the people be butchered? They were hypocrites, stuck in their old ways that had no place in this galaxy anymore. They truly believed that acting against the Mandalorians would have done nothing. They were fools.

Those that had followed her to war, they were Jedi no longer. One could not be a considered a Jedi and still fight this war the way it needed to be fought. This war was changing all of them, some more deeply than others. None would walk away from this without scars.

Revan looked over to Meetra; she was talking to a group of soldiers. Revan felt herself frown. Even Meetra was being affected. She hid it very well, but their bond made it almost impossible for her to keep such a thing hidden. She was everything that the Jedi should be; she was the best of them all. But this war was getting to her; Revan could feel her pain every time she ordered soldiers to their deaths. It broke the warrior’s heart to see it. In her mind it was one of the Mandalorian’s greatest sins in this war.

She had become the reason Revan was fighting so hard to put an end to this war. She represented everything that was being lost, everything that this war was costing them. It was because of her that Revan would do whatever it took to end this war. No matter the cost she would end the Mandalorian threat, then they could finally be done with all of this. Meetra could be herself again; no longer would Revan have to watch her slowly be torn apart by all this death and destruction. She would stop at nothing to make it come to pass.

* * *

 

The room was quiet, the only noises coming from Revan working at the console. Meetra was sitting on the edge of the bed, meticulously cleaning her armor and humming quietly. Revan had been watching her almost the entire time. She had a smile on her face as she cleaned the armor’s surface.

She was genuinely happy right now, at peace. They rarely got to spend private time together, and even rarer did they share quarters. Revan had taken the former Mandalorian commander’s quarters, which had belonged to the previous governor before they were killed in the city’s capture. This meant that they were away from the majority of Republic forces, and since Meetra had technically been given one of the adjacent rooms no one would even know.

Revan couldn't help but smile as she watched the smaller woman. Both the act of watching her and feeling everything that she was feeling made it impossible for Revan to not be happy as well. This is what she could never understand about the Jedi. They would surely damn the both of them for their relationship, force them to give it up or cast them out of the order, not that she cared about being part of the order anymore.

This just reinforced her opinion on how narrow minded those fools were. They claimed Jedi needed to avoid all emotional relationships because it would lead to the darkside. That was bullshit. It was because of Meetra, because of their relationship that Revan felt strong enough to keep going. Meetra filled her with hope; she gave strength when Revan felt she couldn't go any longer.

She reminded the warrior of who she was and what she was fighting for. How could anyone view such as thing as evil and something to be avoided? Revan loved her. That did not make them evil, that did not corrupt them. If anything, Meetra was what kept her from faltering, from becoming something she was not. If it weren't for her then Revan would probably be much more like Malak now.

"You are brooding again," said Meetra suddenly. There was a faint clang of metal as she gently stacked the now clean gauntlets with the other armor. They locked eyes as she looked up.

"It's nothing," Revan replied, smiling at her. It was a smile her love could actually see as she was the only person Revan didn't wear her helmet around.

Meetra gave her a dubious look but the warrior let her feel that she truly was okay. Meetra smiled back at her and began cleaning the breastplate; that gentle humming again filled Revan’s ears.

Revan completely forgot the little work she had left as she watched her lover. Meetra’s sun streaked chestnut hair was unbound; it tumbled down past her shoulders to the middle of her back. She was wearing the grey suit under her armor which hugged her body fairly tightly. She was still dirty from battle. Dirt and grime were visible on her clothes and she had a dark smudge on her cheek. This did nothing to diminish her beauty though—she completely entranced the warrior. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman Revan had ever seen.

"I haven't even showered yet," Meetra said, not looking up at her, cheeks flushing.

Revan just grinned. It was fairly easy to embarrass the other woman with her thoughts. Meetra was under the foolish assumption that she was not beautiful. She didn't think herself ugly, she just thought herself plain. As far as Revan was concerned, she had yet to actually find the right words to fully capture how beautiful her love was.

"You are so full of it," muttered Meetra, cleaning her armor even more intently as her cheeks reddened further.

Revan grinned as she watched her reaction. The warrior hadn't realized she had let her guard down enough for Meetra to read her thoughts so easily, although that did happen quite often when they were alone. She could feel how happy the other woman was though; as much as she was embarrassed Revan knew that it filled Meetra with joy to know how she really felt about her.

Meetra finished cleaning the breastplate and very carefully set it on the floor along with the others. Anyone could see the care she took in the action. Every time she handled the armor it was with extreme care. Her diligence in maintaining it was the same as any true Mandalorian.

"Why do you wear that armor?" Revan asked softly. "I mean really. I know you said it's the same reason I wear the helmet, but I know you didn't tell me everything." They had no secrets from each other, and while this wasn't exactly a secret _per se_ she was still curious as to what Meetra wasn't telling her.

Meetra didn't answer right away; her barriers went up slightly, her thoughts more guarded. She looked down at the armor, staring at it intently for a moment.

"I wear it for you," she said quietly, still looking at the armor.

Revan just stared dumbfounded, why would she wear it for her? Sure, Revan wanted her to have good protection, and _beskar_ was the best anyone could get. But she had never insisted on her wearing it. Meetra had done it of her own accord. Revan was about to ask her what she meant but she continued.

"I can see how much this tears you up inside, seeing what your people have become. I know how it makes you feel, seeing everything they have done." She looked up at the warrior now. "Revan I know how much it hurts you. I know you want nothing more than for this war to end, how much you want for your people to turn back into who they should be. You wear that helmet because you honor that woman's sacrifice, because she represents what is good about your people. I wear the armor for that reason; I am fighting for you, for your people and who they once were. I swore to myself that I would not rest until Mandalore and Cassus are defeated and your people regain their honor."

Revan knew without a doubt that she truly meant every word she said. It was impossible not to feel all the love she poured through their bond. Revan had no response at first. She knew that Meetra loved her, just not how much she cared, that she was doing all of this for Revan.

Meetra had not been born Mandalorian. Yet when she found out about the warrior’s heritage, and as they grew closer, she had begun to take great care in learning the traditions and ways of Revan’s people. Now she was fighting to restore what her vision of her people was. Revan didn't bother questioning what she had done to ever deserve this amazing woman, she was just immensely thankful that she had her.

Revan got up and crossed the room. Her lover read her intentions easily and was already standing when Revan got close. Revan kissed her passionately, holding onto her tightly. She had no words to properly express how she felt, but she hoped she could at least show her.

Revan knew that Meetra could also feel everything, her reaction to both the warrior’s touch and her emotions as she pressed her smaller body closer, deepening their kiss. Revan’s entire body felt alive, like a current flowing through her, making her tingle all over. She was truly happy.

"I love you," Revan whispered, breaking their kiss and staring into those eyes she loved so much.

" _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum_ ," Meetra replied, a smile on her face. Revan felt herself smile even broader upon hearing the words. She had never actually taught Meetra how to say 'I love you' in Mandalorian—she must have taught herself.

As Revan looked into her eyes she re-swore that she would end this war. No matter the cost, she was going to stop the Mandalorians, she would do whatever it took. She was going to end this for her love, so she didn't have to carry these burdens anymore. Revan would fight with every ounce of her strength—nothing would stop her. She would end this so they could finally live a life of peace. Together.

* * *

 

**The Normandy, crew deck.**

"Shepard I was there. It took you six shots to hit him," said Garrus, giving a faint chuckle.

"That's because some jackass couldn't keep his sector clear and I kept taking shots from the left while I was trying to aim!" Shepard shot back, giving her friend a playful glare.

They were sitting around the table eating breakfast with most of the crew; even Jack had shown up and stayed at Shepard’s insistence. The young woman looked very uncomfortable and kept shooting glares at the Cerberus crew, especially Miranda, who was doing a fairly good job of ignoring it.

"Your Alliance test scores in marksmanship would support Garrus's claim," said Miranda, giving her a faint smile.

"Those are old test scores!" Shepard tried to defend her honor. She admitted that she did used to be a shit shot, but she had gotten better.

"Explains why you love the shotgun so much," Garrus teased.

"I will kick your ass bird boy!" shouted Shepard, shaking her fork in a threatening manner. "Wrex told me that fried Turian is a good meal, so don't you test me!"

This actually earned a laugh from Jack; the woman seemed to enjoy a good threat or insult. Shepard had spoken to her after she had settled in on the ship. She definitely wasn't easy to trust and she was still wary of Cerberus, but she did seem to respect the fact that Shepard was also a powerful biotic. Although she was certain Jack could still completely destroy her if she really tried.

"I wouldn't mind seeing that," said Jack with a wicked grin.

"She would miss me way too much," replied Garrus, elbowing her gently in the ribs. "Besides she needs my aim." The Turian quickly leapt of his seat as the fork jammed down where his hand had been. He laughed as he moved to clean his dishes.

"Dick!" Shepard shouted, earning several laughs from around the room. She was actually quite pleased with how things were turning out. The crew was coming along nicely and once Jack had more time to adjust then everyone would be getting along again. Shepard let herself smile slightly; things finally seemed to be getting better.

She began finishing up the last of her breakfast; it wasn't until her last bite that she noticed several of the crew were staring in the same direction. She looked over her shoulder to see Revan coming from the showers. What she was sure everyone was staring at was that Revan was not wearing her armor, or her helmet. She only wore her black robes, the hood pulled up to obscure most of her face, but Shepard could still make out the strong jaw line.

Shepard had to take a moment to actually look at the unarmoured form of Revan. The robes were still pretty bulky, but Revan didn’t look much smaller than in her armour. So, was she really that big? Or were the robes that bulky? Still, she cut a damn nice figure. Several lingering stares confirmed that.

Not wanting to be one of them, Shepard waved. "Morning," she said cheerfully, turning in her chair so she wasn't staring but could still see the warrior.

"So laser lady wears a dress too? We get it, you’re a girl,” Jack said with a laugh.

Revan stopped, only giving Jack a glance before she looked back to Shepard. "Commander I’ve ordered components that I can use for various upgrades. They should be waiting for pickup on Omega. If we could stop and retrieve them I can get back to work."

"Yeah I’ll get Joker to plot a course; we still haven't got the next round of dossiers so we have time." Shepard looked at the hooded woman curiously; her tone was very…neutral, devoid of absolutely all emotion.

After their talk yesterday she had felt like Revan was starting to open up a little more. At the very least she had seemed to be getting more comfortable with the redhead. But now she was standing perfectly straight and speaking very formally.

"Thank you," Revan replied, giving her a faint nod. Her voice was still very detached.

"So you trying to be butch or lady like? You should probably decide," muttered Jack, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"She just has different customs Jack." Shepard was surprised to hear that it was Miranda defending Revan. "It would be wise for you not to insult her; I guarantee she's more powerful than you. Or any other biotic for that matter."

Shepard agreed with everything Miranda said. She was just surprised to hear it coming from the Cerberus officer in the first place. She had been doing a very good job of not confronting Jack on any issues even when the younger woman tried to get a rise out of her. Shepard had to fight the grin that tried to form on her face. Did Miranda have a crush on Revan? Her gayday had not pinged the Cerberus officer, but she had been known to be wrong from time to time.

"Please, unless she’s an Asari I doubt she could do shit to me," scoffed Jack, folding her arms over her chest and switching her glare from Miranda to Revan.

"Your arrogance will get you killed one day," said Revan, her voice still perfectly neutral.

"You don’t scare me butch." Jack was glaring even harder now, but her slouched posture showed that she genuinely wasn't scared of Revan at all. She seemed to get a thrill out of riling other people up.

Everyone in the room was completely shocked when all Revan did was flick her hand and Jack went flying across the room, slamming into the medbay windows where she was pinned to the wall by an invisible force. Revan was holding her hand out in Jack’s direction, slowly tightening it into a fist and Shepard could hear Jack begin to gasp for breath. Her eyes were wide and her face began to change color as she was unable to draw in air.

Shepard shook herself free of the shock and jumped to her feet, grabbing Revan's arm and throwing her back a step. "That’s enough!" she shouted.

Jack fell to the ground, landing heavily on her hands and knees where she began taking in ragged breaths. Shepard looked back to Revan. What the hell had that been about? She never got the chance to ask as the warrior simply turned and left the room without a word.

"I am going to kill that fucker!" growled Jack, rising to her feet, her body already glowing blue with biotics.

"Jack stand down!" Shepard snapped, stepping in front of the raging biotic. She could also see Garrus moving up behind the much smaller woman. "You provoked her, and while I don’t agree with what she did you certainly had it coming. I’ll talk to her but you are not to go near her. Do I make myself clear?"

Jack just gave her a hateful look before storming away.

"EDI lock Jack from going down to the cargo bay," Shepard ordered. Well this day had turned shitty very quickly. Looks like she had a whole new problem to deal with—maybe it was a good thing she didn't have any new dossiers. If she didn't get things sorted between Revan and Jack then it was going to be bad. Those two would destroy this ship in a fight; she would need to get things sorted as quickly as possible. She really didn't want to see the bill for a third Normandy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandalorian translations;
> 
> Aruetii- basically just means non-Mandalorian, but it is meant as an insult. Can also mean traitor.


	12. Horizon

The familiar sound of someone working over a punching bag entered Shepard’s ears as she walked into the cargo hold. The first thing she noted was that the blows were extremely rapid, almost too fast. She looked across the room to see the still hooded form of Revan kicking the living hell out of the punching bag in the gym area.

She wasn't just working on punches; her whole body was engaged as she used both fists and feet to strike the bag. It looked more like she was doing a very violent dance than anything. It had been impressive watching her fight real opponents; somehow she was just as impressive when simply training against an inanimate object.

Revan ducked under an imaginary blow, gliding up to the opposite side of the bag to deliver several rapid blows. Shepard could feel those steel eyes meet hers; Revan straightened from her fighting stance and gave a nod.

"Commander, is there something you needed?" Her voice was perfectly level, showing no sign of strain from exercise.

"Yeah," Shepard said, walking towards the warrior. "I gotta talk to you about Jack and that little incident." She stopped a few feet away from the taller woman, leaning against one of the weight racks.

"Yes, I should apologize for my outburst. However I did it for a reason." Revan stood directly in front of her, keeping about four feet between them. Her posture was still perfectly straight and formal, just like her tone.

Dammit, Shepard just couldn't seem to get a stable read on this woman. One minute she would seem like she was opening up and they were making progress on the personal front, then she would get like this. It was getting damn confusing. Shepard repressed her sigh—one problem at a time.

"If Jack continues acting the way she does it will lead to her death, I guarantee it," Revan explained, her eyes locked with Shepard’s the whole time, the bright grey visible under the hood. "And on this kind of a mission she will also likely put the lives of others in jeopardy. This is something we cannot afford. Jack needs to be shown the error of her ways; she needs to be shown that she is not untouchable. She needs to learn that she cannot simply antagonize anyone she pleases or there will be repercussions."

Shepard listened to everything Revan said, and she agreed with all of it. Jack certainly did need to learn how to work with others. However, given her past, Shepard could understand why she had such a hard time doing that. Still Revan did make a good point; they could not afford a loose cannon on this mission, which is exactly what Jack was right now.

"I understand what you’re saying," Shepard began. "And frankly I agree with most of what you said. However, I can’t condone your methods. You can't simply throw her into a wall in hopes of tempering her. Seems a little bit counterproductive to me. Jack needs to trust us, that's the only way this will work."

Shepard would never compare her life to Jack's; the younger woman had definitely had it harder, at least if the Cerberus files could be trusted. However she did feel sympathy for the younger woman. Shepard had her share of rough childhood experiences. She knew that it was tough to trust people after that.

Jack was simply doing what she knew how to do. Survive. That meant not trusting anyone, looking out for only yourself. Jack's anger towards the whole world took it to a whole new level though. Shepard knew it would be a challenge but she was confident that she could win the woman over.

"Very well Commander. Again, I'm sorry for my outburst. It seems I sometimes forget my place in this galaxy."

Shepard felt herself frown a bit. Sometimes she forgot that this wasn't Revan’s galaxy It was easy to forget how hard it must be for her to adjust to everything.

"Yeah, I’m sure it’s a big change going from a big hero to…well this," Shepard added with a chuckle, gesturing around the ship.

"Yes," Revan spoke very softly. Her posture seemed to sag a bit, but it was so quick that Shepard almost began to believe she had imagined it. "I will speak with Jack. I promise there will be no confrontation."

"Give it a day," Shepard said with a faint smile. "She needs time to cool off. In the meantime, I’ll talk with her."

Revan simply nodded and returned to her workout, effectively ending the conversation. Shepard again held in a sigh as she pushed herself up and headed back towards the elevator. One half of the problem was dealt with, now to talk to Jack. Then she had to figure out what was going on with Revan.

* * *

 

Revan had been the first to arrive in the briefing room. She and the commander stood examining the display of Horizon in silence. There was only one major colony on the planet; it was obvious that is where the Collectors would strike. Revan was staring at the map of the city, trying to determine where the Collectors would land.

"So, what do you think?" asked the commander, glancing up at her from across the table.

"I think we should split into two groups, sweep through the city and rendezvous in the center." Revan pointed to drop zones on opposite sides of the colony. This would be a first contact with the Collectors; they did not know what do expect so they would need to be prepared for anything.

"I like it," the commander nodded. "Joker will pull the Normandy back until we know more. I'm not going to lose a second ship.”

They both looked over to the door as it opened and the crew began filing in. Mordin and Jacob were first, followed closely by Garrus, Miranda and Zaeed. Grunt and Jack were the last. The tattooed woman immediately began glaring at Revan, taking up position at the opposite end of the table.

Revan didn't even bother giving her a second glance. It had only been a few hours since their confrontation, and she had done as the commander wished and avoided her. Revan knew that they would have to speak soon though. Luckily Revan was well accustomed to dealing with such rage filled people. However, Jack would require a different approach than Malak.

Her former apprentice was consumed by rage and hatred, but there was nothing underneath it. Malak was just a murderous bastard who wanted power for the sake of power, and he was jealous and petty. Sometimes Revan was surprised she hadn't killed the man long ago; it had taken all her restraint to only remove his jaw.

Jack was very different. On the surface, yes, her and Malak were very similar, but deep down it was a very different story. While she had been choking the much smaller woman, she had used the opportunity to delve deeper into Jack’s mind. She had been too distracted by the physical assault to notice. All her anger and hate was merely a mask, and she used it to make herself feel safe, untouchable. She was a horribly scarred woman; even Revan would admit that she had been through a lot. The warrior would try something different with her. If that failed, well, then she could just leave it up to the commander.

"Alright everyone listen up," the commander moved to the head of the table and made eye contact with everyone. "We have good reason to believe that the colony on Horizon is about to be hit by the Collectors. We aren't going to let that happen. Mordin has informed me that his counter measures against the seeker swarms are ready so we should be immune."

"Should is always a reassuring word," chuckled Garrus.

"That's why you’re going in first Garrus," replied the commander with a grin. "We'll split into two teams. The first team will insert here," she gestured towards the first LZ, "it will consist of myself, Garrus, Grunt, and Jack."

Revan nodded, it was a good decision. If Jack did get out of control then the three of them would be able to contain her. They were all also heavy hitters, with the exception of Garrus; by deploying first they would draw the most fire. That left the rest of them to be the scalpel.

"The second team will deploy to the west. It will consist of Revan, Miranda, Zaeed, and Mordin. Jacob you’re going to be in the Kodiak providing air support when needed."

Revan was already staring at the layout of the colony and plotting the most efficient route towards the center. They would likely need to sweep for survivors, but that would take time. It wouldn't be her call anyway; all she could do was offer advice to Miranda. The Cerberus officer was competent though so she didn't mind—

"The second team will be under Revan's command," said the commander.

Revan looked over to the commander—she would be in command? Miranda was the official second in command, so why would she give it to Revan? Revan nodded in confirmation to her. It did not matter; this would simply make things more efficient.

"Alright we’ll be arriving at thirteen hundred hours. See to your gear and be at the shuttles fifteen minutes before arrival. Everyone is dismissed."

Everyone began filing out of the room, with Revan and the commander leaving last. She was still running through battle plans in her head when she left, barely even noticing the commander walking beside her as they headed towards the elevator.

"Surprised?" the commander asked.

"A little," Revan admitted, glancing over at her.

"Figured, you had your surprised posture."

Revan looked back over to her. She didn't have a surprised posture; she was very in control of her body. The warrior would never allow something so obvious to show. There was just no way Shepard could notice something like that with all of her armor.

"Just kidding," Shepard added with a smirk. "Just a guess."

Revan fought down her response grin. Dammit, it was infectious. She calmed herself before calling the elevator. "I just assumed Miranda would be in command."

"Don't get me wrong, Miranda is good. But you have more combat experience than anyone on this vessel. I guess I just figured you could handle commanding a single squad. Let me know if it's too much for you." She grinned at her again as the elevator opened.

Revan stepped inside and hit the button for the cargo bay. "I believe I can handle it." The doors closed before the commander could respond.

She glanced at the clock on her HUD. They would be arriving at the planet it just over two hours. Enough time for her to continue thinking about a battle plan and check all of her gear.

The door opened and Revan immediately went into her room. She picked up her modded Carnifex, carefully inspecting the weapon as she did a quick strip of the weapon and cleaned every component. She then began doing her ritual check of all her armaments. The process began by completely removing her armour, as she had ceased wearing her robes. She carefully checked over every single piece before putting it back on. She did this every morning before dressing, but it was very important to do it before an engagement as well, as it was easy for small problems to be missed.

The check took almost a full hour, but by the end she was fully armored up again. Next, she cycled through all of the HUD's settings to make sure everything was working properly. With no issues encountered she then did another check to ensure her suit was fully sealed. No breaches detected. She then did a final check to make sure her hidden blade was secure and the mechanism working properly.

With all gear working properly Revan turned her thoughts to the battle. She had seen everyone fight except for Mordin. However the Salarian moved with a certain grace, and while he may appear fragile Revan could tell that the alien was far from helpless. Their best plan of action would be to move in pairs. That way they could cover more ground but would remain close enough to immediately respond to any threat.

Revan sensed Miranda coming down, and a glance at her clock showed they still had fifteen minutes before the commander had requested everyone to meet at the shuttle. She hoped that the Cerberus officer wasn't upset over the command decision; she did not seem like such a petty person though. Revan looked over at the doorway as she knocked politely.

"Come in Miranda."

She stepped inside, her black armor making her usually soft steps louder. "Revan, I just thought I would come down and discuss the battle plan with you."

Revan nodded. She should have been expecting her. Miranda was a very intelligent and efficient person.

"I just spoke with EDI; her scans show that the Collectors are present at the colony. All communications are down so it is safe to assume the entire colony has been subdued."

"Then it will be pointless to sweep for survivors. Our best course of action is to eliminate their ground forces. Hopefully we can find some way to force them into a retreat. Does the colony have any defenses?" She knew the Normandy was not equipped to fight the Collector ship; after all, it had very easily destroyed the previous one.

"None that we know of. EDI will do a close scan of the colony when we come in closer."

"If they don't then we will have to improvise…" Revan began thinking of ways that they could possibly force the enemy to retreat with such small numbers. The best bet would be to damage their ship to an extent where they would have to retreat or risk it being destroyed.

Perhaps if she could get close enough she could find and exploit its weakness. Even if she couldn't pinpoint a weakness, tearing off chunks off the ship would be certain to do some damage.

"I may have an idea, but let's wait and see what happens." She finished speaking just as the elevator doors opened. Shepard, Garrus, Grunt, Jacob, Mordin and Zaeed all walked out towards the opposite end of the bay where the shuttles waited.

Revan gestured for Miranda to lead the way and she followed the Cerberus officer to the shuttles, thinking of possible scenarios as they walked.

"No Garrus, I'm far too pretty to die. You’re supposed to get shot for me," said the commander, grinning at the tall Turian. She was sitting on the edge of the shuttle doorway, her red and black helmet sitting beside her.

"Sorry Shepard, but I can't spoil this perfect face. Besides, with you always running ahead of everyone it's too much work for me to keep up. Maybe Grunt will be your bullet shield."

"Of course he will!" She turned to the large Krogan, a big smile on her face. "Because Grunt isn't a wuss like you. Right Grunt?"

"Turians are fragile," answered the large alien, a feral grin on his face.

The commander laughed and gave the Krogan a friendly smack on the arm "That's my boy!" Everyone around the room joined in the laughter, with the exception of Revan and Miranda, although the other woman was smiling faintly while Revan suppressed her own.

She had made up her mind on this matter. She would keep her distance from the commander. She would not let the woman affect her on any personal level; there would be no distracting her in any way from doing what needed to be done. Revan was only here to ensure the commander survived.

The elevator opened again and Jack walked out, a shotgun secured across her back and a pistol on her waist. She glared at pretty much everyone in the room, although Revan knew she received the longest.

"Alright everyone's here so let's go over the final details," said the commander, standing up to be at eye level with everyone else who had formed a circle in front of the shuttle. She projected a display of the colony from her Omni-tool. "EDI reports that the Collectors have already landed so we can assume the entire colony has already been subdued by the swarms and being loaded onto the ships as we speak."

"Collector ship will be problematic," said Mordin, hand on his chin. "Likely contains very large number of Collector troops."

"Exactly," answered the commander. "Right now we have no intel on any colony defenses, so our primary concern is finding a way to deal with that ship. Any ideas?"

"At the very least I should be able to cripple the ship enough to force the ship to retreat," said Revan. "If we can reach this clearing here," she pointed to a small square near the center of town, "that should be close enough for me to damage the ship while still keeping us in cover from any remaining enemy forces."

"Just what the fuck do you think your little powers can do against that monster?" asked Jack with a snort.

"If Revan says she can do it I believe her," answered the commander, not even glancing at the tattooed woman. "Alright, drop zones remain the same and until further notice we link up at that square. Questions?" Nobody spoke. "Alright let's load up."

Revan and the commander took up positions on either side of the door while the others loaded into the shuttle/ Her squad sat on the left while the redhead’s sat on the right. She gestured for Revan to load in next. She sat in the seat right next to the door, and the commander sat on the opposite side of the door with her squad.

It was almost ten full minutes before the shuttle took off. As they shook in their seats Revan very quietly began muttering to herself.

_Kandosii sa kyr'am ast,_

_Troan teroch mando'ad a'den,_

_Duraan vi at ara'nov._

_Vode an, ka'rta tor._

_Kote._

She saw the commander glance over at her for a long moment before looking away again. Had she heard? Revan immediately abandoned a flash of worry; it did not matter, she hadn't really been saying anything secret or personal.

"Coming up on the first drop zone," spoke Jacob over the shuttle’s com.

The commander nodded and put on her helmet, and Revan noted that it almost had a faint Mandalorian design to it.

"Alright first team on me." She pulled free her eviscerator shotgun, doing a quick check of the weapon before the door opened. "See you at the RV." She gave Revan a nod before jumping out of the low hovering shuttle.

The door closed and the shuttle quickly sped away, but Revan felt herself frown as she realized something. She could not sense the enemy. She could sense the colonists, frozen in stasis. She could sense the ground team, but no foes.

Could they be a force resistant race? It was entirely possible; it would also explain why she could not sense them. However, she would need to test their degree of resistance. It could simply be that they simply had no presence in the force, thus rendering them invisible to her sense. Or they could be immune to the force all together. The only creatures she knew of that were immune to the force were the Terentateks, but even they had a presence in the force.

"Approaching second drop point."

Revan immediately rose and stood in front of the door way, jumping out the second it opened. The others were right behind her, immediately raising weapons to scan the area.

"Call out the first target you see, but do not kill them. I need to test something. Form up on me and move out." Revan pulled her pistol free as they quickly began moving down the narrow street. "Commander we’ve landed and are on the move." Only static answered her.

"Seeker swarms likely interfering with communications," said Morden. His eyes were constantly scanning every location for hostiles.

Revan just nodded and kept moving. She glanced up at the large Collector ship looming in the distance. It was big, but she was confident in her abilities.

"Contact left!" Miranda whispered in the com.

Everyone immediately took cover. Revan looked over and saw a group of four Collectors loading paralyzed colonists into what looked like some kind of organic pods. They had yet to notice the newcomers.

"Alright wait for my go," said Revan softly. She rose from her position and thrust her hand forward, feeling the rush of force energy flow across the gap towards the enemy. They went flying through the air, slamming into a nearby building. Immediately her squad finished the dazed enemy off with quick bursts from their weapons.

Well at least her powers still worked on them. She signaled the others to follow and once more began moving towards their objective.

They had made it perhaps two blocks before they were attacked. The Collectors came flying in on their wings, dropping behind a cluster of crates, immediately firing on the ground and forcing them into cover.

Revan dropped one of the Collectors with two rapid shots to the head. Zaeed tossed a grenade towards the enemy, but before it detonated a shimmering gold colored shield jumped up from the ground, protecting the Collectors from the blast.

Savage screams and howls broke through the gunfire; Revan looked from her cover to see a dozen figures running past the Collectors and towards her squad. They looked like some dried up from of a human, glowing blue with technology.

Revan immediately thrust her hand out towards the figures; the only reaction she got was that the lead monsters staggered back a step. " _Shab"_ she muttered, and she began firing on the charging creatures. Luckily they fell easily and the others quickly shifted their fire to mow down the new threat.

Revan leapt into the air, aiming herself to land behind the remaining Collectors. She immediately shot one through the back of the head at point blank range. Then she spun, free hand extended, and the hidden blade fell from its position and down into her hand where it was then slammed into the throat of a second enemy.

She held the body in front of her as its ally began firing. Revan threw the body forward into its still living comrade; using the distraction she shot the thing in the face as it pushed the body away.

"Incoming reinforcements!" shouted Zaeed

Revan turned to see four more Collectors flying over a nearby building. Lightning arched from her outstretched hand and engulfed the flying bugs until they fell smoking to the ground.

"Nevermind" said the mercenary, giving a faint laugh.

They all reformed on her position. "What happened with those husks? Your powers didn't seem to work on them," asked Miranda, glancing at the twisted humanoid forms as she passed them.

"No they didn’t. I also can’t sense the Collectors, but my powers seem to work on them."

"We always thought that the husks were of Reaper technology, so perhaps they’re immune to the force"

"It's possible; unfortunately, I won't know for sure until we face more Reaper troops. We should keep moving."

The prospect of the Reapers being immune to the force was unsettling. They would be facing Reaper troops in massive numbers when they invaded, and her powers would have given them an edge, a weapon that could not be countered.

However, now it seemed that was not the case. There was always a chance that it was just these husk creations that were immune, after all they did appear to be almost entirely machine rather than organic. But her powers should still affect machines. If they had time she would retrieve one of the bodies to study further, and perhaps she could discover what made them immune.

Revan would have to wait to answer her questions. They still had a mission to complete, so for now she would simply adapt to the situation. She continued leading the others through the colony. They would occasionally pass an immobilized colonist but it seemed the Collectors had retrieved most already.

Revan could sense the fear from those that still remained. They were still fully aware of their surroundings, of everything that was happening. She did not stop though; they had no time to help these people. The primary objective was driving off the Collectors.

She stopped at an intersection, peering around the corner. Her HUD immediately picked out a dozen targets, eleven Collectors spread out among the various clutter and buildings, but the last was a new type of enemy. It was a horrid conglomeration of what looked like multiple husks fused together with a large cannon forming their left arm, and a bulbous glowing blue sack deformed the things back.

"Mordin, Zaeed, you two move up into the buildings on the left, fire on my attack." Both men nodded and quickly began ascending a nearby ladder. "Miranda take position at the entrance, hit the enemy with your biotics and provide me covering fire."

"Where will you be?"

"Taking out that thing," she pointed towards the newest monstrosity. Revan holstered her pistol and drew both her long sabers, not yet activating them.

"In position Revan," grunted Zaeed. "We'll take out those bastards on the rooftops first."

"Copy Zaeed, attack when I make my move." She looked back to Miranda. "Ready?"

"Be careful." There was an odd tone to her voice as she spoke, and as her eyes locked with Revan’s, the usual firm look she had seemed to soften faintly.

"Don't worry about me," she replied, giving a nod. She readjusted focus back to the target, adjusting her position so she had a clear line towards the creature.

Revan bolted forward, the force allowing her to cross the distance in the blink of an eye, and she activated her lightsabers just before reaching the target. She brought the left blade up, cutting through the things cannon arm and part of the sac, and  the right blade swung too, slashing clean through the things chest. Half a second later it fell into two pieces.

Gunfire erupted through the area as three of the Collectors fell from nearby rooftops and balconies, riddled with gunfire. Revan leapt over to another nearby enemy, removing his head with a swift slash, and she threw the other lightsaber to stab through a seconds chest.

Her shields sparked as two Collectors opened fire on her. The barriers held and she quickly closed the gap between them, slashing both across the chest simultaneously. She saw a blue orb slam into another Collector before it was riddled with SMG fire. Two more of the enemy fell to accurate bursts from Zaeed and Mordin. Revan dispatched the last two by quickly snapping their necks.

"More incoming!" called Mordin, and a horde of husks came charging from the mouth of an alley while three Collectors flew over the buildings towards them.

"Supress those husks! I'll handle to Collectors," ordered Revan.

She ran towards the landing Collectors. Just as they touched down Revan felt a tremor in the force, a heavy darkness descended on the area. One of the Collectors began shaking, and its entire body began glowing before it finally stopped. Its eyes glowed gold while it looked as though its entire body was cracked, light pouring from the cracks..

Revan suddenly felt a connection in the force through the creature; she could feel an overwhelming presence like she had felt during the vision. Immediately she dove into the creature’s mind, battering aside its defenses with all her might. She traced the sudden connection. She could see this Collector was merely being controlled by another, but even they were merely another puppet.

" _What are you?_ " a voice rumbled in her mind, reverberating through her entire being.

Revan could sense immense power emanating from the being. " _You are the leader of the Reapers, aren't you._ "

" _I am the harbinger of fate. You are not of this galaxy. You do not fit. You are an anomaly. You will be harvested with all the rest."_

Anyone else would have shrunk at the proclamation. The strength and power in the voice would have destroyed most people’s will in an instant. Revan merely grinned. " _Try it. You will be stopped._ "

" _You cannot stop what is to come. It is your fate to be harvested."_

Revan grinned more as she drove a lightsaber through the chest of one of the Collectors, immediately leaning back to avoid a dark ball of energy thrown at her. " _I have already seen what fate has in store, and you will lose. Now and at the end, you will fail._ "

She could both feel and see the Reaper hesitate. The possessed Collector froze for only an instant, but in that time Revan cut the creature in half. It dissolved into what looked like ash.

" _You will be hunted down. You will not be allowed to stop the cycle._ " The voice echoed in her head as the Collector dissolved, but Revan just grinned, the vision playing in her mind again.

"Revan, are you okay?"

She turned to see Miranda standing only a few steps behind her. "Fine, why?"

"You have been standing there silently for a while."

"Sorry, I’ll explain later. We should keep moving."

Miranda simply nodded, a faint amount of concern still in her eyes, but Revan simply ignored it for now. The squad reformed and they continued on their way to the RV. It was only a few blocks over. She could sense the commander was nearing as well; they should arrive just before her.

* * *

 

"Dammit I really miss that Geth shotgun," said Shepard with a sigh, kicking a Collector corpse to make sure it was dead.

"Well next time don't be so careless," Garrus chuckled beside her.

Shepard merely flipped him off before checking her com again, but once more only static answered her. She really needed to get in touch with Revan. The survivor they had found told them where the controls for the defense cannons were located; it was close to their original RV, so if contact couldn’t be established they could always send a runner.

The squad continued down the street, stopping at the corner. "Alright control station is in this square. Grunt you and me take point, Jack flank around, Garrus bring up the rear and give us sniper support."

She got a series of acknowledgements. The Krogan came up beside her, a big grin on his face. "Ready Grunt?" Her answer was a slow laugh which made her grin in response. "Let's move!"

She kept pace with Grunt until they sighted their first Collector. "I AM KROGAN!" bellowed Grunt as he charged right towards the creature, slamming his entire weight into its much smaller body, throwing it across the courtyard.

Shepard spotted a second Collector and activated her charge, slamming it back against the stack of crates, then she quickly shot it in the head. She rolled to the side, avoiding the deadly particle beam aimed right for her. Rising she fired at the Collector, but the first shot was turned aside by its barriers, as was the second. The deadly beam forced her back into cover before she could fire a third.

"Garrus! Got a beamer!"

"On it." His voice was followed by two rapid shots and the enemy fire stopped.

"Thanks bird boy," she called out, rising from cover to charge towards two Collectors grouped together.

She smashed into one, obliterating its barriers and staggering the creature back. Dammit these things really were ugly. Shepard slammed her biotic infused fist into the thing’s chest while taking her shotgun in one hand and shooting its partner point-blank in the face.

"Clear!" she called out, looking around to find no more enemies. The rest of the squad repeated the call and they formed up at the control tower.

Shepard activated the console, and after a few seconds her com sparked to life, Jokers voice filling her ear. "Joker? Can you read me?"

"About time! We are getting a weak signal from you, what's going on?" The worry was clear in the pilot's voice.

"We are fine. EDI I need you to link in with the defense turrets and get me a firing solution on that ship."

"Acknowledged Commander, accessing now. Commander I will need to reset the targeting computer and reformat in order to get the guns online. It will only take me a few moments. In the meantime you have incoming Collectors."

"Copy that EDI." Shepard turned to the others. "Alright everyone take up defensive positions. Garrus find a good sniping point. Grunt, Jack, I want you two to be constantly mobile, keep hitting the enemy wherever you can. Garrus and I will draw the enemy towards us; once they are committed hit them with everything you've got."

Everyone quickly got into their positions, Jack and Grunt moving into heavy cover, concealing them from the oncoming enemies, while Shepard stayed in the open near the control panel. "Revan, this is Shepard do you read me?"

Instead of static she got an earful of heavy gunfire before Revan's perfectly calm voice came over the com. "I read you Commander. We have reached the RV."

"Change of plans, we found the controls to the colonies defense cannons. EDI is calibrating them so we should have them working in a few minutes."

"I can top that." Shepard looked up. Even from this distance she could see the Collector ship begin to shake, and a moment later a large chunk was torn from the ship, causing an explosion to ripple along the outside.

"What the fuck's going on?" demanded Jack, moving from her cover to get a better look.

"Guess Revan didn't want to wait for EDI," Shepard answered, grinning to herself. She was surprised when Jack said nothing, but continued to stare at the ship as another chunk was torn free.

"What about—"

Garrus was cut off as the com flared to life again. "Commander we have heavy incoming, requesting assistance so I can finish this ship off."

"We’re on our way, hold on." She looked to her squad. "Double time it!"

They encountered no resistance as they all ran towards the RV but they could hear the gunfire getting louder. They saved time by running through the adjacent buildings. Shepard dove through a large window, shattering the glass, and she landed at a run.

Mordin and Zaeed were pinned down by a torrent of enemy fire. "Grunt, Jack, take the pressure off them!" She pointed towards the pinned duo.

Miranda was currently grappling with a husk, and without being ordered to Garrus charged towards them, grabbing the monstrosity from behind as he hurled it to the ground and promptly stomped on its head. The Cerberus officer offered her thanks and the Turian gave her a friendly nod before firing at the enemy. Shepard noted that he had positioned himself to block her from anymore of the roving husks.

As Shepard moved further in she finally saw Revan. Two large bodies of those horrible bloated things with cannons were at her feet, along with several husks. She had a…a bloody glowing red whip in one hand and a pistol in the other; she stood completely in the open firing at the enemy. Shepard immediately knew that she was trying to draw the enemies' fire. She alternated by lashing out with the whip, removing heads and other limbs, and firing precise shots with the pistol.

Shepard quickly activated her charge to bring herself into a group of husks charging the warrior from the left. The one she hit was killed instantly, and she quickly shot a second in the head, blowing it clean off. She saw Revan duck under one of the thing’s claws, Shepard aimed over the warrior and shot the creature in the head while Revan rose behind her and with a sharp jerk of her hand the whip lashed out, cutting two of the husks in half.

Shepard and Revan both shot the last husk simultaneously. "I think my shot hit first," she said with a grin. The masked woman's response was to suddenly throw her to the side where she crashed into a group of crates.

The ground shuddered and Shepard looked up to see a massive creature had landed where she and Revan had been standing; the former was also getting back to her feet. Shepard had never seen anything like it. Its giant Collector-like head glowed blue and beneath it was a large collection of husk heads that still howled at her.

"What in the hell is that?" shouted Zaeed

"Something fun to kill!" laughed Grunt, and the large Krogan immediately charged the new creature. He fired his shotgun repeatedly, apparently to no effect. A shockwave of biotic force sent the Krogan flying backwards.

"Focus fire!" shouted Shepard as she got back to her feet and began unloading on the horrible construct.

Grunt was engaged by a fresh swarm of husks, Miranda and Garrus were trying to take out another group of Collectors that were flying in while Mordin and Zaeed were trying to re-position to help Shepard. Where the hell was—

Jack slammed into the construct with massive biotic force, rocking the creature to the side. She immediately began firing her shotgun point blank at the creature. Jack was staggered back as another shockwave rippled from the construct. It raised one of its horrible legs clearly about to skewer the biotic.

Shepard never got a change to intervene as a dark blur slammed into Jack. Her and Revan tumbled to the side, and the leg struck the ground harmlessly. Shepard kept advancing and firing at the creature attempting to draw its attention, and a glance back to Revan allowed her to see the warrior extract herself from Jack and turn to the creature.

Revan leapt up onto the thing’s back, running along the center. She came to the head and in a single smooth motion pulled one of her lightsabers free, activated it, and slammed it into the creature’s head. The thing began to shudder and Revan jumped clear.

Shepard realized too late what was about to happen. Luckily Revan didn't. She grabbed Shepard’s hand and threw her around a cluster of heavy crates. Revan’s body covered hers as the creature exploded.

The whole area shook with the force of the explosion. She could hear the crates shake and fall, and most of them missed. She saw Revan stagger as one hit her back during the fall, but the woman remained upright.

She looked back at Revan's masked face as the explosion faded, and this close she could actually hear the warrior breathing. She felt herself grin instinctively at their position. "You’re on a roll with heroically saving women."

Revan simply grunted as she righted herself and stepped back. In the distance Shepard could hear the Collector ship taking off as another explosion tore through its side.

"You two okay?" asked Garrus. She recognized his Turian grin as he walked towards them with the others.

"If I can catch my breath from being swept of my feet," Shepard said, grinning at Revan and dramatically fanning her face. Garrus and Zaeed both laughed, and Miranda was wearing her usual ice cold look.

"Ha! The cowards are running scared," laughed Grunt.

"They must have been in danger of a fatal hull breach and decided we weren't worth the trouble," explained Revan, looking towards the fading ship.

"By the way that was goddamn impressive, ripping chunks off that ship." Zaeed gave an approving look towards the masked woman.

"I guess it was pretty cool," muttered Jack so quietly that she could barely be heard.

"Alright that's enough praises for our dark hero, don't want it going to her head. Let's call the Normandy down and begin looking for survivors."

* * *

 

The colonists still looked scared out of their minds, but appeared grateful to the soldiers who had rescued them. The commander had gathered all of the remaining colonists in the center where the defense cannon controls were located. It had taken around and hour for the stasis to wear off, and during that time they had managed to carry the majority of the survivors here.

Revan watched as Mordin and Chakwas moved around the colonists to administer what aid they could. The last of the colonists were just coming around from stasis.

"The defense cannons are fully operation so they should be fine until aid could arrive. I wish we could stay and help more…" The commander looked across at the survivors.

Revan looked back to her. "There is little more we can do for them. The defenses will keep them safe; it’s also highly unlikely that the Collectors will return here."

"Yeah I know. Dammit if only we had gotten here earlier... so many gone." The regret was written all over her face, in her bright green eyes. Her red hair had come undone and blew behind her faintly in the breeze; the light of the fading sun bathed her face in a golden light and made her hair look like it were on fire. She looked so beautiful.

Revan froze at the thought, quickly looking away. "We will avenge them—the Collectors and Reapers will pay."

She could see the redhead smile out of the corner of her eye, a faint laugh coming from the commander’s lips. "When you say it I actually believe it."

Revan raised an eyebrow as she thought about her words. Why would the commander care it was her saying it…did the woman not believe that she could do it? She always seemed so confident. Was it really possible that she doubted her ability to lead them to victory?

"Alright everyone it's time for us to leave," the commander spoke into her com. The crew quickly began loading onto the waiting shuttles. At a look from Garrus she signaled for him to go onto the shuttle, taking up the remaining seat.

The shuttles took off, leaving only Revan and the commander. "Hey did anybody ever locate Ashley?" she asked over the com.

"I believe she is the one who has been hiding since the rest of the crew landed," Revan answered before anyone else.

"What? You knew about her the whole time?" She spun to look at Revan, occasionally glancing around the area.

"I could only guess to her identity. I didn't push too far into her mind. Now that everyone else has left she is coming out." She gestured towards the vantage point the woman in question had been watching from.

The commander followed her hand to watch the dark haired woman approach. "Ashley!" She smiled warmly to the newcomer and jumped off their position on a small platform. "Are you okay? And why were you hiding?"

Revan followed the commander over. They clearly knew each other but this Ashley was being very guarded. She could sense woman was on edge and frankly Revan didn't know if she would reach for the pistol at her back or not. As the commander stopped a few steps away from Ashley Revan took up position directly beside her, ready to intervene if need be.

"Shepard…I can't believe you’re alive," the woman said in a soft voice.

"Honestly neither can I," the commander replied with a chuckle. "But hey, Cerberus threw a lot of money at bringing me back."

Ashley took a step back and Revan could feel her grow more tense. "So it's true, you’re with Cerberus."

"You knew?" The surprise in the commander’s voice was evident.

"A few rumors. I asked Anderson but he wouldn't say anything. The Alliance sent me out here because we got a tip that Cerberus might be behind the abductions, and what's worse that you might be working for them."

"Ashley the Collectors are behind the abductions, that much should be clear. And I’m not working for Cerberus. Right now we both just want to stop the abductions. I’m using them for their resources, that's it."

The conviction was clear in the commanders voice, and it should have helped to sway her former crew member. However Revan could feel nothing from Ashley. In fact she could feel her grow even more guarded.

"How can you expect me to believe that? What if they’re working for the Reapers somehow, manipulating you?"

Revan couldn't stop the scoff before it left her lips. Could this woman truly be so blind? Was her hatred of the organization that strong that she couldn't see the facts that were staring her in the face?

"How can you say that?" demanded Shepard, an edge of annoyance entering her voice now. "Ashley you know me, I would only be doing it if it were for the right reasons. I am not working for Cerberus! I am trying to save these people."

"How can I believe that? Dammit Shepard they rebuilt you. How do I even know this is you, if you are truly under your own control?"

"Ashley I don't know—"

"Look at you Shepard! Your face is glowing from Cerberus tech! How do I even know you are human anymore?"

Revan wasn't sure if it was Ashley's words or how she unconsciously felt how the words affected the commander. She never used her powers to sense the redhead’s feelings or even outer thoughts.

But the wave of sorrow that flooded through the commander was so powerful and sudden that Revan instantly felt it. Rage flooded through her and she had a strong urge to grab this idiotic woman, to break open her mind and make her see the truth, to force her to see what a fool she really was. She wanted to make her see. She was so close to making this woman see, but she was silenced by the commander’s reply.

"Go fuck yourself Ashley," growled the commander, turning around and heading towards the landing shuttle.

Revan waited a moment before following. "Fool," she muttered before following the commander. She wouldn't even waste her breath on the idiot.

Shepard was already sitting down in the shuttle when Revan got in; she banged loudly on the wall, signalling the pilot to take off. Revan sat across from the redhead. She could still feel the turmoil within her. Her rage had settled and the sadness had returned.

They rode in silence for several minutes. Revan felt she should say something. She was curious where this sudden sadness and doubt had come from. It hadn't been until Ashley had mentioned her being rebuilt, her scars, her not being human. Is that what was getting to her?

Revan struggled with herself. Her instinct told her to talk to the commander, to try and figure out what was bothering her, to help her. Revan just couldn't bring herself to do it. To get attached. So, she kept her mouth shut and they continued to the Normandy in silence.

The shuttle landed and the commander was the first from the shuttle. She marched across the room and immediately entered the elevator. Revan walked into her room, grabbing a towel from the foot of the bed. She removed her helmet and wiped away the sweat still clinging to her face.

Her mind was still on the commander. Dammit she should have said something. It would not be good for the mission if their leader was conflicted. Throwing the towel down she walked towards the elevator. Her hand hovered over the button for the commander’s cabin. She hit the button for the crew deck as her nerve failed—she just couldn't do it. But she could still do something.

She walked across the deck and headed into the battery. Garrus was typing away on the battery console, still in his full armor. He looked over his shoulder as Revan entered.

"Revan, surprised to see you. What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you about the commander"

The Turian stopped working and turned. "What's going on?"

"She has been…" Revan paused to think of the proper words. "There is something troubling her. We encountered Ashley as we were waiting for the shuttles to return. The meeting did not go well."

Garrus sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Shit, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Williams always was stubborn in her views. But I can’t see why this would upset Shepard. She never lets anyone's crap get to her."

"She is…conflicted about something, I don't know what. But she is doubting herself, her abilities. I think it has to do with Cerberus rebuilding her." Revan stopped again before deciding to continue. "My guess is that she is having difficulties dealing with her reconstruction. She likely views herself as more machine than human." She remembered how Ashley’s words had affected the commander. "I think it would be good if you spoke to her."

Garrus nodded. "I didn't realize she was having such problems. I’ll talk to her."

"Thank you," Revan nodded, and she turned to depart but Garrus spoke again.

"Why are you asking me to talk to her and not just doing it yourself? You clearly know what's bothering her and care enough to want to help her."

Revan didn't turn around. "I'm not the right person," she replied quietly before leaving the battery. Shepard needed to speak to someone who cared for her. That wasn't, that couldn't be Revan.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandalorian translations;
> 
> Kandosii sa kyr'am ast,  
> Troan teroch mando'ad a'den,   
> Duraan vi at ara'nov.  
> Vode an, ka'rta tor.  
> Kote. -  
> As ruthless as Death itself,  
> The pitiless face of The Mandalorian's wrath,  
> Let us look down on all who are before us.  
> Brothers all, one heart of justice.  
> Glory.


	13. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential trigger warnings for mentions of PTSD.

Garrus knew for certain now that something was wrong. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since their return from Horizon and in that time he had only caught brief glimpses of Shepard. She had even come up with a rather convincing excuse to skip out on eating meals with the crew. She was trying very hard to act like nothing was wrong, simply using work to explain her odd behaviour. She had everybody fooled, except him—well, and Revan.

Garrus had been quite surprised that the woman not only knew something was bothering Shepard but also that she cared enough to try and help. Not that he thought Revan was a bad person; she just didn't seem too interested in other people's personal lives. Then again he knew Shepard had been trying to coax the woman out of her shell, so maybe she was just starting to care about Shepard.

If she really cared about Shepard then why hadn't she talked to Shepard herself? Why try to get him to do it? True, Garrus and Shepard were as close as you could get, they knew practically everything about each other. Maybe Revan just felt she didn't know her well enough. Still the fact that Revan had managed to figure out Shepard was troubled was damn impressive. It had taken Garrus a long time to be able to do that, but of course Revan did have those powers, they probably helped a bit.

He couldn't help but wonder about Revan's motivations. Was her concern purely practical, or more personal? He was used to people fawning over Shepard; it happened all of the time. Kaiden and Liara had both been very amusing to watch during the hunt for Saren. The majority of men and a good number of the women who met Shepard were instantly attracted to her. Frankly Garrus didn't find humans all that attractive, but he could see why people were constantly drawn to Shepard.

From his observations she seemed to have what most humans would deem a desirable body. She wasn't as…curved as Miranda but her body was well honed from many years in the military. He had also noted that many seemed to find her hair and eye color rather attractive as well. Garrus didn't really get the whole hair thing—frankly he found the stuff weird—but he did admit that it definitely gave Shepard a very striking appearance. The eyes were something he could understand. She had eyes that were so full of happiness and compassion, unless of course you crossed her, then they would kill you with a look.

But more than her looks, it was her presence that he knew drew people to her. He didn't quite know how to describe it, but just an hour in the woman's company and you instantly wanted to prove yourself to her, you wanted to do anything to earn her praise. He had only known her for a few minutes but he remembered when she had reprimanded him for shooting Dr. Michelle's captor, and in that moment he had had felt like he had let her down despite the fact that he barely knew her.

He had seen a lot of failed attempts by both men and women to mate with Shepard. Depending on how the attempt was executed she either let them down gently or, if they were an ass, she sent them running. He had seen literally every crew member of both Normandys give Shepard at least a once over, whether they were interested in women or not.

Not Revan though. Of course, with that helmet she could easily be doing it and no one would ever know, but Garrus doubted that, she didn't seem like the type. Still the Turian couldn't help but keep wondering what Revan's motivation was.

He felt a strong protective nature towards Shepard. She was his best friend in the whole galaxy; he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. Most people he didn't worry about, like with Kaiden and Liara. He never worried about them because he knew them both and because he knew Shepard could handle it.

Even Jacob’s growing attraction towards her was nothing he thought twice about, again because Shepard could handle it and it was also highly amusing to watch the man's pathetic attempts to spark her interest.

Revan however…he worried about that woman. True Revan had been nothing but helpful, more that helpful really, she had been instrumental in their successes so far. But Garrus didn't know her, not the real her. Maybe it was just those weird powers; maybe it was just him being over protective, he wasn't sure.

Garrus stopped his work and turned from the console. He would think about Revan later, right now he had to deal with Shepard. It was just past twenty-one-hundred hours ship time, so she would probably be in her cabin. He rode the elevator up, trying to think of how to start the conversation. By the time the door opened again he had just accepted he had never been good at this kind of thing and just decided to jump right in.

He knocked once on the door but got no answer. He could hear music coming through the door; it was likely she couldn't even hear the knock. Garrus opened the door and stepped inside, he was instantly blasted by the roar of music. Due to his time serving with Shepard he had learned that she had a very outdated taste in human music, he even recognized who she was listening to. He was just glad this music indicated that she was relaxing, not angry. Shepard’s music always reflected her mood.

Garrus walked further into the cabin and found her sitting on the sofa. She was in her fatigues, reading a datapad and sipping what he assumed was tea, her favored drink. She finally looked up as he descended the two steps.

"Hey Garrus," she said quickly, putting a smile on her face. "What's up?"

"Listening to Ms. Jones again, I see."

Shepard laughed. "Surprised you remembered. You better not start complaining, this is better than that modern club shit, and don't even get me started on your Turian music."

Garrus chuckled, he remembered that argument well. To say Shepard was passionate about her music would be an understatement. When Garrus had commented there was probably a reason her favored music had been forgotten, she had thrown his visor out of the Mako and then refused to help him look for it.

"So what can I do for you?" she asked, turning the music down from her omni-tool.

"I wanted to talk to you actually," he answered, clearing his throat slightly; damn he was really bad at this.

Shepard gestured for him to sit, which he did before continuing. "I wanted to talk about you. Something is bothering you Shepard, that much is obvious." Her smile faltered for a second, but he cut her off before she could dismiss the claim. "Look I know you don't like talking about your personal shit, neither do I. But this is me; don't try to tell me nothing is wrong. I'm not going to make you tell me, that would be impossible. But I can at least try to help."

Shepard didn't respond immediately. He was content waiting in the silence; he knew this was not easy for her. She was uncomfortable with asking people for help, or even letting them know something was bothering her. Even if she didn't tell him anything right now, at least he had brought it up, at least she knew that he cared enough to try and help. Sometimes that was all people needed.

"I remember dying Garrus." She didn't look over at him, instead she was staring off into the distance. "I remember the Normandy getting blown to hell. I remember drifting in space, gasping for air. I remember it all."

Garrus was silent at her words. He couldn't imagine what that would be like; sure, he had plenty of close calls, but to actually feel yourself die.

"It was absolutely terrifying." She looked over to him now. "To go out like that, after all the shit we went through. A god damn suit rupture killed me. I spent so long fighting it, gasping for breath. All I could think about was that I wasn't finished, I still had so much to do…and then it just clicked. I was going to die and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it."

Garrus's heart broke as he watched the look in her eyes. He could see all the pain, the anger and sorrow she held within them, from those few moments. Through all the time he had known her never once had Shepard ever given up, she had never even entertained the notion of defeat. She was an unstoppable force who gave hope to all those around her.

Now he understood why she hadn't wanted to talk about this. She had given up, she had admitted defeat. It was something Garrus couldn't believe, the idea was so crazy. But he could see it in her eyes; he could hear it in her suddenly shaky voice.

"So I just…stopped, stopped struggling, stopped fighting. I let myself die." She looked away again, down to her outstretched legs, and she was silent for a few seconds before letting out a humorless laugh. "And then I woke up, gasping for air. Shit that was a really confusing moment. Of course then I found out it hadn't been a super vivid dream and I had been dead for two fucking years. I read some medical files. My body had pretty much been completely destroyed. So they rebuilt me, made me a new body," she gestured to her scarred face. "As you can see. Fucking Geth should be jealous, best damn looking robot around." She let out another humorless chuckle.

"Shepard," Garrus spoke slowly. He wasn't thinking too much about what he was going to say, that would just trip him up. He needed to be perfectly honest with her, she would know if he wasn't. "I can't even begin to imagine what you went through. When I heard you died…it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. When I saw you on Omega, I could hardly believe my eyes; I thought I was going mad. But I knew it was you, not some advanced VI or stupid robot. I saw Jane Shepard, I still do. Do you really think I would follow anything but the real thing?"

Shepard was watching him intently as he spoke. It tore him up seeing his best friend this vulnerable. He needed her to know that he still believed in her, even if she didn't. "So you have some cybernetics in you, maybe more than any other human. But so what? That doesn't change who you are. You are still human, you are still you. You are Jane Shepard, the woman who scared Saren so much he shot himself. You're the woman who is going to kick the hell out of the Collectors and then the Reapers if they can work up the courage to fight you."

Silence stretched between them as his words sunk in. Slowly a grin spread across her face, a genuine Shepard grin. "Dammit you sure know how to flatter a lady. How is it you’re still single?"

Garrus laughed, both at her statement and of relief. He could tell his words had a positive effect on her. Maybe it wouldn't put away all her doubts, but at least it had helped. "It's not my fault my hard-ass commander never gives us shore leave," he replied grinning right back at her.

Shepard laughed her genuine laugh. "Well if you weren't so useless I might consider it."

"The words 'Garrus, beamer, oh please, please help me' come to mind." He did his best to imitate her voice, which elicited more laughter from her.

"I never said please," she scoffed, throwing her datapad at him.

Garrus laughed as he batted the projectile away. "You were thinking it,"

Their laughter died down and Shepard looked back up at him, a smile on her face. "Hey…thanks, for everything."

"Don't mention it. Someone's got to look after your stubborn ass." Garrus rose as he finished speaking, deciding she could probably use some sleep.

Shepard rose also, giving him an amused look. "You know you are much more perceptive than I give you credit for. I figured I was doing a pretty good job of keeping this to myself."

Garrus looked at her, trying to decide what to say. Did he tell her that it was actually Revan who had pointed it out? He felt bad for not noticing it earlier; would she think less of him if he told her? There was also the consideration that maybe Revan didn't want her to know. Garrus remembered the woman's last words before she had left; he still didn't know what they meant.

"Actually Revan is the one who told me that something was bothering you. It became really apparent to me after Horizon, but she said it had been going on for a while." If Revan wanted to be cryptic then Garrus would just do what he wanted. Besides, protective nature aside it could be amusing watching what came of this.

"Mind reading bitch," Shepard replied instantly, giving a chuckle. "Anyway, thank you Garrus. You're the greatest friend I could ever ask for."

"Yeah, I am pretty great," he replied with a grin.

Shepard laughed again, smacking him in the shoulder. "Cocky bastard."

He just gave a playful shrug in answer, which got another laugh. "Good night Shepard," he said, walking towards the door.

"You too bird boy."

Garrus rode the elevator back down to the crew deck. That had gone better than he hoped. He knew it wouldn't instantly erase all of Shepard's worry but he was certain he had helped. He would have to watch her more carefully in the future though. He was still upset that he had not noticed she was having such doubts but Revan had noticed.

Maybe he had just been too wrapped up in his own shit…that shouldn't be an excuse though. Shepard should take priority, after everything she had done for him she deserved that much. But he couldn't forget, no matter how hard he tried. His resolve to find Sidonis was bolstered as he walked towards the battery. Once that bastard was dead he could finally put all of that behind him. Shepard deserved to have him focused and clear headed; he would not let her down.

* * *

 

Revan checked every item off as it was delivered into the Normandy's cargo bay. She directed the workers to form specific piles from her purchases, and at the moment she had three rather large piles. She knew that the commander would want an explanation for all these supplies. She still wasn't quite certain how to go about telling her, although she was certain she could convince her it was not an issue.

As the last crate was dropped off, Revan could sense the commander coming down, looks like she would have to think fast. The ramp raised and she turned to greet the redhead as she walked over, eyes scanning the piles of crates.

"Alright two questions. One, what the hell are you building, and how the hell did you afford all this?"

"The answer to your second question is probably something you don't want to know. Lets just say when I first got here I wanted to test the security technology of this galaxy, and it was far weaker than I expected."

She gave an amused look, and simply shook her head, still scanning the new cargo. "And what about my first question?" She looked back to Revan.

"Right, well some of the components are to further upgrade our ground forces. Most of it is for two things though. First thing is I am going to attempt the construction of a laser cannon. I believe I can create one with the materials from this galaxy, although it will take some experimentation as I am not completely familiar with them."

"Oh, I love it when you talk science," said the commander, faking a yawn. "That does sound pretty bad ass though. Is laser technology that common in your galaxy?"

"Incredibly. Slug based weapons are almost unheard of. Torpedos are about the only thing we have in common when it comes to warfare, most of our weapons are energy based. I'll spare you the details but after a lot of research I believe I can construct weapons of similar power. This is to be my trial run. If it works it's a simple matter of scaling it up and making a few additions and you will have turbo lasers."

"I take it the turbo makes them better?" she asked with a grin

Revan simply nodded. "They are roughly three times more powerful than what I’m building. What's more, they should completely ignore the shield technology of this galaxy."

"And give us a huge advantage over the Reapers," the commander added, nodding to herself.

"Exactly. I hope to have it working in a week."

"Need any help?"

Revan looked at her for a moment, trying to decide if she was joking or not, but her face was completely serious. "I thought you would be too bored by the science talk." Despite herself, Revan grinned for half a second before forcing it away.

"Well yeah, but if you need something hit with a hammer then I got your back!" the redhead said with a cheerful laugh. "I’m sure Mordin and Garrus will be running down here to help as soon as they hear what you’re doing. Once we pick up Tali then I’m sure she will help too."

"She is the Quarian that served with you before, right?"

"That's right. She’s a technological genius, even by Quarian standards. I’m sure she will be very helpful with your projects."

The Quarian’s presence could complicate things…well, may as well get the next part over with; at least Revan had opened with something good. "I should probably tell you about my second project. I am building a droid."

"What?" She gave him a very confused look "Why?"

"Well I noticed that the droids of this galaxy are... well they're a pile of _Osik_." She noted the confused looked and quickly corrected herself. "Shit, sorry. Listen I know this galaxy's stance on AI's and yours as well. However I want to stress that what I am creating is not like the Geth."

Revan waited to see if she would interrupt but she stayed silent. Perhaps it would be best if she was more specific about what she was building. If she gave the commander some assurances then she would have an easier time accepting this.

"I’m actually rebuilding my own personal droid from my galaxy. I have a copy of his programming and I am simply going to install it in a new body. It will be a singular unit, thus no chance of a Geth like rebellion. Also, he served me faithfully for quite some time. I give you my word that he will not harm anyone but our enemies. He is utterly loyal and rather entertaining company." Revan allowed herself to smile, remembering HK's favorite term for organics.

"You speak pretty fondly of…him," the commander noted with a very faint smile, so faint it was barely there.

"He was…" Revan hesitated for a second. "He was my friend." The revelation would likely help to sway her in favor of the project. She needed to build one model herself so she could test its effectiveness in battle before committing to the construction of hundreds of thousands.

The commander was silent for a few moments. Her eyes seemed to be searching the warrior for something. "Alright," she said after a moment. "Just keep him away from Tali; I'll try to calm her down about it when she comes aboard."

"Thank you, Commander."

"Oh I do have one condition though," she added, smirking slightly. "I get to meet him as soon as he is done!" Her smirk grew into a full smile, one that seemed legitimately happy.

Why was she so excited to meet HK? Revan could tell she was still a bit uneasy about the whole thing. The warrior was actually surprised with how easily she had won the other woman over. Had the simple revelation that HK had been her friend been enough? If so then why had that been important enough for the redhead to agree…Revan simply shook the thoughts from her mind. It didn't matter, she had what she needed.

"Shepard, Admiral Hackett is calling for you," said EDI over the ship com.

The commander looked up as she answered the AI. "Patch him through to my quarters, I'll be right up." She looked back down at Revan. "I sent a scan of the new weapons and shield upgrades you made to the Alliance, and I guess they finally finished with their tests. Hey, I’m sure they would love to have a chat with you. Would you mind if I set one up for tomorrow? You can use lots of big words!"

"Of course." Revan had to admit that she actually hadn't thought about sending her upgrades off to the Alliance. Of course, she knew Miranda had sent the heat sink upgrades to Cerberus, although so far she had kept the shield upgrades from the Cerberus officer. She didn't want Cerberus getting too much tech. She still didn't trust the group.

"Thanks! I'll set it up and let you know when it's going to happen." The commander gave another warm smile before jogging towards the elevator.

Her mood definitely seemed to be better. Garrus must have spoken with her. Revan was thankful that the Turian was on board; he was the only one that the commander trusted without hesitation. It was easy to tell that the two were very close. She wondered if there was anything more to their relationship…

Their friendship was very strong so it wouldn't be completely out of the question. Of all of the others on this ship her and the Turian did seem like the best match. Although just from watching them she got the feeling their relationship would never evolve to that level. They clearly cared for each other, but they never looked at each other with anything more than undying friendship.

Revan could be wrong though. If the relationship was anything more…it would be good for the commander. Deep down the warrior acknowledged that the redhead deserved someone who cared for her as the Turian did.

Revan would never deny the power that love could give someone. It could give someone hope in the darkest moments. It gave you something to fight for, to live for. Of every emotion love was the most powerful by far.

That was the Jedi's largest failing. Believing that love led to the darkside, that love would only lead to destruction. The damn fools. Love could save you. She knew that first hand. However, on the other side, loss…that could destroy you, it could lead to your fall. That she also knew.

Revan quickly turned and began unpacking one of the crates, busying her mind with other thoughts. she would start work on the laser cannon first, that would take her the most time. She knew that constructing HK would also take some time, but she could do that on her down time.

The factory on Noveria would be finished with its upgrades in one week, and by then she should have a final design to submit and begin the production. Of course she still had to visit the factory in order to make sure everything was working properly. She still hadn't worked out how she would do that without the commander noticing.

The factory was completely automated and she didn't want anyone else in it when construction began—she wanted what was going on there completely secret. Therefore, she would have to be the one who started it up. Or…she could always send a droid to do it.

Her next concern was the shipyard. There had been no way around it; she had also begun to refit the facilities to be completely automated. When the work was done all the employees would be laid off, but she had offered them all a very generous severance package. She wasn't a complete asshole. By the time those upgrades were done she should have a working design to use for the turbolasers. She had also decided on a ship design to use.

The biggest threat was the Reaper’s main weapon. The beam could remain active for bursts up to around a minute. At least according to the footage and reports she had seen on Sovereign. Therefore, she would need ships large enough to still support enough firepower to counter one of those ships, but also nimble enough to avoid its beam.

She had started with the plans for her Interdictor class cruisers; she had made a few alterations to the design, mostly to allow for greater maneuverability. They were a smaller size than what passed as a dreadnought for this galaxy, which meant that their construction could be handled better by the shipyard.

She had no idea when the Reapers would actually arrive. No one did, which was why she had to get to work as soon as possible. She turned from hauling out what would be the barrel of the weapon as the elevator opened. Mordin, Garrus, Jacob, and Miranda all walked out and towards him.

"We heard you were building a big laser gun," said the Turian with a grin. Those sounded like the commander’s words. Revan couldn't help but grin; it seemed she had all the help she would need.

* * *

 

Information was power; it could get you anything you wanted. That's why he had made it his business. It was information that made Shadow Broker one of the most feared and respected names in the galaxy. His agents were everywhere, forwarding all information that could be useful.

The amounts of data he got every day were massive; sorting through it all was a monumental task. He had a small team that was competent enough to get rid of the useless information, however most of the work he left to himself.

He tracked everything, and had information on everything from high level politics to lowly mercenary dealings. As of now his eyes were glancing over a piece of information that piqued his interest. Someone had recently bought the Warhorse ship yard in the Strenuus system. A multi-billion credit deal had happened in a matter of mere days. He understood why this had been flagged as potentially important.

He quickly pulled up all relevant information on the deal. Buyer was unknown, there were orders to refit the factory to be fully automated then the workers were to be laid off. Very interesting. The new owner clearly wanted whatever would be coming out of that factory to be a secret; therefore it was his business to know.

The Broker quickly began relaying orders to pertinent agents. He wanted all the information on this mysterious buyer, he wanted to know what was going on in that factory, and he also ordered a full report of any other sudden purchases of any other facilities. Whoever was responsible had the ability to move massive sums of credits very quickly, and therefore he wanted to know this person or company; he wanted them under his thumb. They had a secret, and he would find it out. No one could hide from him.

* * *

 

Unknowns were not something the Illusive Man liked dealing with. He had put too much time and effort into planning Shepard's mission to let anything upset it. His eyes scanned the reports he had on this Revan.

Apparently she was from a different galaxy; she possessed incredible abilities that far outstripped even the most powerful biotic. Her technology level was also far above their own, and she had already reinvented ground warfare with an upgrade to their heatsink technology. It also appeared she had improved their personal shield technology as well, although Lawson had yet to get ahold of the device. The latest report said that she was also building some kind of powerful laser weapon.

If Cerberus could get their hands on this weapon then it would give humanity a massive advantage over their enemies. No other race would be able to stand against them. It may even prove effective enough against the Reapers to delay them long enough…

He turned his eyes from Lawson's usual precise and formal report to that of Kelly Chambers. The woman was far too soft but she did have a knack for reading people. According to her profile Revan had been a general, commanded all of the forces of her 'Republic,' which seemed to be a government similar to the Council. She had fought and won a war against the Mandalorians, which were interestingly her own people.

So, the woman appeared to be a technological genius and an expert in warfare. She could be a great asset; however her motivations were still unknown. Chambers noted that her personal motivations were still unknown; her only desire was to stop the Reapers. But was this woman loyal to humanity, to Shepard, or to herself? The question needed to be answered.

He quickly sent a message to Lawson to arrange for a meeting. It would be good to have a conversation with the woman and at least get a better understanding of where she stood. Frankly he had put this off for far too long. If Revan posed a danger to Cerberus then she would need to be removed. However, if she could be turned to their side, humanity would truly benefit.

Revan had been a general, a war hero by all accounts, yet now it seemed she was nothing more than another member of Shepard's crew. Perhaps he could appeal to a sense of greed. He could offer Revan a high-ranking position in Cerberus. It would be interesting to see who was more skilled, her or Petrovsky. However, if Chambers was accurate and Revan was too honorable to succumb to such things then perhaps he could gain her allegiance in another way…

According to both Chambers and several other crew reports Lawson seemed to be developing a certain fondness towards Revan. There were many incidents of them spending several hours alone together. If there was a relationship there then he could exploit it, after all Lawson was his agent. He protected her and her sister from their father, which had gained her unquestioning loyalty. He was certain she could be counted on.

If all attempts to turn Revan to Cerberus failed then he would have her removed once the mission was over. Either they would capture her and force her to provide further technologies or eliminate her all together. He would have a specialized phantom squad trained for just that purpose. One way or another, Revan would be dealt with.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ms Jones is actually Norah Jones. I love her music, really relaxes me.


	14. The Quarian

Revan stood at the top of the stairs. She could sense her below, the storm of hate and rage was hard to miss. She had already put this off longer than she should, but it still wasn't easy. Apologizing wasn't exactly her strong suit. She could count on one hand how many people she had actually apologized to in her entire life. Still there was no way around this one; with such a small group of people they could not afford division.

She sucked in a breath and walked down the stairs. Jack’s favored location actually wasn't that bad, it was hidden and out of the way of any traffic. Frankly if Revan didn't need to room in the cargo bay she probably would have set up down here.

The small, tattooed woman was sitting on her cot reading through a datapad. Since her arrival, she had (upon the commander’s insistence) taken to wearing a dark jacket over her torso. She looked up from her reading as Revan came into view, immediately giving a glare, but she noted it was less hostile than the ones she got before Horizon.

"What do you want?" Jack asked. Her tone was filled with more annoyance than anything; she looked away and back down at the datapad. But her attention was solely on Revan.

"I have come to…apologize for my actions the other day. They were uncalled for."

Jack scoffed as she continued pretending to read. "Shepard make you come down here?"

"No I offered." Revan’s earlier observations about this woman were proving to be truer with every second.

"Yeah well I'm still going to kick your ass for that." Her tone wasn't as serious as it usually was, there was less anger in it.

Revan knew that she had been impressed by her powers on Horizon. Perhaps Jack was realizing that if she actually fought Revan it would not end well for her. She did not doubt that the smaller woman was incredibly powerful in this galaxy's powers. But the simple facts were that the force was more powerful, as was Revan, both physically and in her powers.

Biotics were primitive by comparison. The most effective powers she had seen relied on brute strength, and they lacked the finesse and precision that the force offered. She did respect the powers that she had seen, as they were clearly effective. However she noted that the powers often drew too heavily on the user themselves, or their gear.

Miranda had told her that some powers even sapped the user’s shields due to the type of power that was released. She had also said that the powers had something of a cool down, as she had called it. Albeit the cool down was often short, but this was still a major drawback.

Revan had no doubt that Jack would get in a few good hits if a true fight ever broke out but the warrior was confident that she would win. This was all a moot point however; she couldn't let their status devolve to that level. They needed to remain on amicable terms at the least.

"Tell you what, I'll give you one free hit, then we call it even." She thought that the young woman would find this acceptable; after all she just wanted to repay the assault.

"Fine," her tone was dismissive but there was the faintest of smiles that tugged at her lips. She was further betrayed as she quickly tossed the datapad aside and jumped up from her cot.

Revan took a step back to allow her some room and get a better view of her target. Revan was certain she would augment her punch with biotics; likely to compensate for her diminutive stature. Sure, the young woman was likely strong—she was all wiry muscle—but she just didn't have the mass to do much damage on her own.

"Helmet off!" Jack said, slight excitement entering her voice.

Revan popped the seals on her helmet and lifted it free. She hadn't expected a face shot—she had been prepared for a heavily powered punch to the center mass. Jack’s hand glowed blue as the helmet came free and her fist sped towards Revan’s face.

The blow was slow and would have been very easy for her to avoid, but she stayed put and steeled herself. Deep down she was impressed by the power behind it, even if it was augmented, but that was overridden from the pain that exploded on the side of her face. Part of Jack’s hand rolled further into her face, connecting with her nose and breaking it.

Revan’s head snapped to the side. " _Shab!_ " That had hurt more than she expected. She could feel that her nose was indeed broken, albeit a minor break, but it was still bleeding.

Jack had a satisfied grin on her face. The warrior knew she had not thrown all her power into the punch. Revan had seen the power the commander was capable of unleashing on her opponents, and it was likely that a fully powered punch to an unprotected head could kill, or at the very least knock someone unconscious.

Revan waited a moment before healing her nose. She knew that the woman was enjoying the sight and she decided to let her enjoy her revenge a moment longer. "Even?"

"Yeah, I guess," Jack replied, faintly grinning.

Revan nodded and healed her nose, wiping the blood away with her hand. At the very least she had returned their relationship to that of tolerance. Jack no longer held a grudge, that much was evident.

Still, as Revan looked at her and sensed her emotions she couldn't help but think. Revan could leave right now, having accomplished her goal, yet part of her wanted to stay, to tell Jack. The warrior knew that it was likely she would not listen, but it was worth a shot. Revan knew she was driven by past experiences here, that was her motivation. She didn't want to see someone else make the same mistakes.

"Jack…" she began, it took a few more seconds to finally decide. "Look I’m not going to pretend that I know you. However I can see what drives you. I can feel all your hate and rage; I know you use it as a shield."

"Stay the hell out of my head!"

Once more her anger had returned and she looked like she was preparing to strike Revan again, yet the warrior remained calm. "I’m not reading your mind; I can easily sense people’s emotions. Just listen for a moment. Your rage can be a weapon, a very powerful one. But make sure it remains just that, a weapon. Do not let it consume you, do not let it define you, do not let it rule your life."

Jack did not respond and she did not wait for her to. Revan turned around and headed back up the stairs. She did not know if the woman would take the advice, or even understand it, but at least she had given it.

Revan knew just how powerful rage could be, how hate and anger could let you fight so much harder. However, she also knew how easily it could dictate the course of your life. Malak was such an example.

Revan had watched how the man who she used to consider one of her closest friends had fallen. Initially Malak had used his rage and hate on the battlefield to drive him forward. It had allowed him to get through the atrocities they witnessed and keep fighting. But he relied on it too much, and eventually that was all there was. It was no longer a shield. The good man that it had been protecting was gone and all that was left was a murdering brute.

Hell, she had come close to losing herself as well. But she had the memories of loved ones to draw on; she had to make them proud. She wasn't certain they would be, but at least she hadn't fallen completely.

As Revan rode the elevator down to the cargo bay she couldn't help but wonder once more. What would they think of her? If they knew everything she had done, would they understand, or would they be disgusted by her? She had asked herself the question a thousand times and every time she decided on a different answer—it just depended on the day.

She wanted to believe they would understand, that they would see the necessity of her choices and accept them, and her. More often than not she decided that they would understand. Yes she had done things she was certain that they would both disagree with. But in the grand scheme she was certain she had done the right thing. Her mind still enjoyed tormenting her though.

* * *

 

Revan walked across the cargo bay, glancing at the construction area. The laser cannon was coming along nicely. She certainly wasn't lacking for help and all the hands were greatly speeding up the construction time, as was the fact that they were all highly competent. For now though everyone was seeing to their gear and preparing for the mission.

They were just over an hour away from the planet where they were supposed to find the commander’s Quarian friend, Tali. Apparently she was considered a technological genius by her people, who by all reports were supposed to be quite gifted. They had created the Geth after all. However considering what had happened with the Geth he was fairly confident that they were not as smart as they were given credit for. Still she would wait and see to make a final judgement.

Revan sat down at the secondary construction area that was slightly hidden away behind the cannon. She had already seen to all of the preparations before speaking to Jack so she would pass the time by continuing construction on HK.

So far she hand only completed the droid’s heavily armored torso. Her original model had been used for assassination and thus been disguised as a protocol droid. This new one did not have to hide the purpose. She had stuck with the same basic design, out of sentimentality, but it was being custom made for frontline combat. Thus it was a bulkier due to heavier armor and minimizing critical weak points.

She still needed the model to be agile though, so she had taken a few design inspirations from the Geth, making the design much more fluid to support quicker and better movement. She did also want the droid to be capable of carrying out specialized missions, such as possible assassinations. She would need to eliminate factions that hindered efforts against the Reapers, such as Cerberus, if her hypothesis was correct.

Revan was certain that she would have to develop further models to counter specific Reaper troops, but since she had no idea what their forces consisted of she would have to make new designs on the spot when they invaded.

Next came the question of standard equipment. It would be faster to equip the droids with weapons from this galaxy. However she needed her forces to have as much of an edge as possible. Once the laser cannon design was finished she could easily engineer a blaster rifle from it. This would take time though. It was likely that her ground forces would be armed with a mixture of weapons.

She was currently in the process of procuring more factories for droid and weapon production. As of two hours ago her purchase of another factory had gone through, and this one was already equipped to handle the production of droids as that had been its primary function to begin with. Two more factories were on her list, and she had made offers to the owners which she was certain they would accept. Those would serve as her primary production factories for weapons.

She was trying to get possession of a third factory. This one had the capabilities to produce weapons for her fleet; however the CEO was proving stubborn. Revan had already offered him a ludicrous sum of money but the they still refused. It was odd.

If she could not get the factory then it wouldn't hinder her plans too much. She still had ample facilities to get her army ready. Although she still faced the primary concern with how to hide said army from the rest of the galaxy. The droids would be easy; she had built compartments under their production factories to house thousands of them at a time. The fleet was another matter though.

A few dozen ships could be hidden, but hundreds? It was improbable, especially considering the factory was well known. She had considered the possibility of allowing the ruling races to be aware of her plans, but that idea only existed for a few seconds. They would not take kindly to an unknown person wielding that kind of power and they would demand she hand the fleet over. Which she would never do.

Therefore, she still faced the problem of what to do. Right now the best idea she had was to find a remote location in the galaxy and send the ships there as they were finished. That only solved half the problem though. Even if the hiding place was kept safe, people could still easily see what was being created at the shipyards.

The starforge had been hidden. No one knew it location, so it had been easy to secretly build a fleet. Damn she really wished she had the starforge here. This was a problem she would need to think on further. The first ship wouldn't be completed for some time so she wasn't pressed to find a solution yet, but it was still one of her top priorities.

Revan sighed as she continued her work. Conquering the galaxy was seeming like a better option all the time. Comparatively it was easier than all this sneaking around. Of course she didn't have the starforge anymore, which made things tougher. Also, she was certain the commander wouldn't take too kindly to that path.

It would set them on the path to confrontation with each other, and that was something she could not have. The force was clear; the commander was the one to end this. Therefore, she needed to protect her, not fight her. So, for now Revan’s plans would stay in the shadows. Once the Reapers invaded things would be much simpler.

* * *

 

"Alright everyone listen up." Shepard grabbed a roof support as the shuttle shook slightly. "EDI's scans say that the nearby sun’s radiation is off the charts. It's likely to fry our shields if we stay in the light. So looks like we’re fighting from the shade. We don't know the exact location of the Quarians, but we have picked up a distress signal and are setting down nearby. This is a Geth controlled planet so expect heavy resistance. Our primary objective is to find Tali and the other Quarians and safely extract them. Questions?" No one spoke. "Lets get it done!"

She finished speaking just as the shuttle touched down. Shepard was the first to jump out, quickly scanning the area with her shotgun. "Whoever finds me a Geth shotgun becomes my new favorite crew member," she said, grinning back at her assembling crew.

She got a few chuckles as they formed up. Her and Grunt took the lead, leading the large squad across the abandoned city. They had to move quickly to get past large spots of sunlight, but for the first few minutes it was easy going. But it wasn't long before they found resistance.

A large gate barred their way, so Shepard leapt through the window to access the control panel. Inside the control room she found the bodies of two Quarian marines, and a recoding was playing but it only revealed that Tali was here somewhere. She unlocked the gate and the squad continued through.

They came into a large area. aA first glance it was empty but within the first few seconds a drop ship sped by at high speeds and four small projectiles launched from the ship and slammed into the ground ahead of her.

"Contact!" she called, bringing up her shotgun.

Grunt immediately charged ahead, shouting a battle cry as he slammed into the lead Geth trooper as it was still rising. Shepard activated her charge, targeting the rear trooper. She collided with the machine, sending it flying back; she fired a round through its chest before turning to the second. Grunt had already moved onto his second target, battering the thing to death with the butt of his shotgun. Shepard elected to just shoot her target twice in its face.

The rest of the squad moved past them and began engaging the Geth that came from the far end of the plaza. Zaeed dropped two troopers with quick bursts from his rifle while Miranda was using her biotics to suspend a rocket trooper helplessly in the air where it was dropped from a long burst by Mordin's SMG.

"Targets above!" called Garrus, firing his sniper rifle at a group of Geth that had taken up position on the balcony above the square.

Shepard saw Revan raise her hand then jerk it back. The Geth slammed through the barriers they were using for cover and were pulled to the ground with ground shattering force.

"More coming from up ahead!" shouted Zaeed.

A group of troopers and rocketeers was moving in from the far end of the square. In unison Shepard and Jack both charged into the midst of the group, destroying two of the troopers on impact. Revan had also used her powers to charge forward, a glowing blade in one hand as she cut a rocket trooper in half, then spinning to remove the head of a second.

Without a word the group continued forward, Revan taking the lead with Shepard as Grunt was still further back. Gunfire erupted ahead of them and she picked up her pace. Rounding the corner she could see two functioning Geth firing at targets she couldn't see. Revan immediately hurled her lightsaber forward, and it spun through the air, cutting both of the machines in half before speeding straight back towards her hand, instantly deactivating.

Shepard ran over to the bodies of the slain marines. It was clear that they were dead, but one of their coms was active and a voice was coming through. She interfaced with the unit and routed it through her own systems.

"This is Commander Shepard of the Alliance navy, we’re here to help. What's your situation?"

"This is squad leader Kal'Reegar of the Quarian marines. I don't know why you're here Commander but I am glad you are. We have Geth swarming all over us. Half my squad is pinned down in a bunker ahead of your position. Get to them and help them out."

"Copy, what's the status of Tali?"

"She's secure in a bunker ahead of my position; we’re trying to fight our way towards her."

"Hold on, we will get your marines then make our way towards you." Shepard turned off the com and moved back to the lead with Grunt. She could see the battle ahead, a group of marines held a well entrenched position in front of the bunker door.

"You have an incoming dropship!" shouted Kal'Reegar through the com.

Shepard looked up and saw the ship fly overhead. It turned to the side and it was immediately clear that it was taking up a firing position. They didn't have any weapons that could harm the ship—Revan! She turned to the masked woman but she was already acting.

Both her hands were thrust out, as if she was going to physically grab the ship. She then pushed her hands together and Shepard looked up to watch as the ship was crushed by an invisible force. Explosions ripped through the ever-shrinking hull, and after several seconds it looked like nothing more than a large badly formed ball of scrap metal before it dropped to the ground.

They had little time to celebrate though as Geth ground forces continued attacking the marines despite the loss of their ship, but roughly half the enemy had shifted fire to the newcomers. The squad ran into cover, Garrus and Zaeed providing accurate return fire to cover the rest.

"Revan! Take Mordin and Miranda to the Quarians. Check their status and keep them safe." The masked woman nodded and instantly led the group towards the Quarians. "Covering fire!"

The rest of the squad opened up on the Geth positions, dropping several troopers and buying enough time for the three to cross the open ground and reach the Quarians. "Jack, Zaeed flank around and hit them from the left. Grunt up the middle with me, Garrus and Jacob hold and provide cover. Move out!"

In good unison the squad jumped to their orders. Shepard leapt over the large block and charged right into the enemy. The Geth had taken up position in front of what looked like a small abandoned warehouse; they used the large blocks out front as cover for their attack on the Quarians.

Shepard slammed into the closest trooper, immediately hitting him with a blast from her shotgun. Grunt was right behind her, firing his shotgun into a rocket trooper. She turned towards the warehouse, eyes widening slightly at seeing the large group of Geth charging out of it.

She began firing at the group, dropping one of the troopers as bullets slammed into her shields. Suddenly there was a massive blast of biotic power as Jack launched into the middle of the group from above. Zaeed stayed in the elevated position and fired down at the Geth. Shepard and Grunt ran in to support Jack who was smashing Geth troopers with her biotics. Between the four of them they made short work of the group of Geth.

"More Geth coming in from the far side," reported Garrus.

"Garrus, take Jacob and Zaeed and head them off! Grunt, Jack, move into that building and make sure it's clear." Everyone quickly moved to carry out their orders. "Revan what's the Quarians’ status?"

"Four survivors, nothing more than minor wounds."

"We’re sweeping up out here, take your group and keep moving forward. We’ll link up with you soon."

"Copy."

Shepard moved to where Garrus was engaging the rest of the Geth. They were up on the catwalk firing down at the machines, their superior position giving them a massive advantage. She came up beside the Turian and glanced down to see that there were only four of the machines left. Another shot from Garrus took the number to three. Within a matter of moments it was zero.

"Good work boys, let's get moving." She led the group towards the bunker, linking up with Jack and Grunt along the way. They moved into the bunker where there were a few Quarian bodies, likely killed before they had even arrived.

"Revan we’re exiting the bunker now, what's your position?" Gunfire and an explosion drowned out the reply.

"We’re just past the bunker. Fuckin’ drones harassing us, slowin’ us down." Revan’s voice had taken on the quality it did in the heat of battle, her accent thicker, speech much less rigid and controlled.

"Copy, we’ll be there in a moment." They ran down the ramp, the gunfire was getting louder as they entered into a large area with many pillars and more construction materials.

She saw two Quarians bunkered down, taking cover from a stream of fire coming from a large group of drones. Her squad moved to engage, dropping several of the machines with ease before they started darting around, making a clean shot much more difficult.

Shepard left Jacob to assist the Quarians with the remaining drones and continued forward with the others. Moving through the pillars they passed what must have been dozens of ruined drones. It only took a moment to find the rest of the Quarians along with Mordin battling another group of the drones.

With a quick order Zaeed and Jack moved to assist while she continued sweeping through the area with Grunt and Garrus. She understood why Revan had split her squad into smaller groups. There wasn't enough cover for a large group and the drones could easily swarm them and cut down those who couldn’t find shelter. Splitting up meant the drones had to split up, which gave the organics the advantage; drones were only effective in large groups.

She found Revan and Miranda engaging another group of drones. She also saw the bodies of two massive Geth primes nearby. Both had clearly been killed by a lightsaber, as both were in two pieces.

However, Shepard forgot how impressive the kills must have been as she noticed Miranda was on the ground, sitting up against one of the pillars. Her left hand clutched her side, blood seeped between her black clad fingers, and more blood came from her right shoulder, which was still supporting her arm as it fired a pistol at the drones whenever she got the chance.

Revan was standing directly in front of the wounded woman, her body shielding the downed woman from the Geth drones. Her pistol was firing quickly, and every shot dropped one of the drones. Occasionally her free hand would snap out and a jolt of lightning would arc towards small clusters of drones.

Shepard could see the warrior’s shields flaring as they absorbed the enemy fire. Usually Revan was very good at avoiding fire or protecting herself with lightsabers, yet here she was fully exposing herself with the clear intent of protecting Miranda.

Shepard and her group moved in and opened fire on the remaining drones making short work of them. When they were clear she ran over to Miranda, dropping down next to the Cerberus officer. "Miranda, you okay?"

"I'm fine Shepard," she said through gritted teeth, and the pain was clear in her voice. "Tali is just ahead. You better get moving, sounds like one hell of a fight."

"Go, I'll get her patched up and rejoin you soon," said Revan, giving her a nod, thankfully sparing her the decision of leaving someone behind.

"Okay people lets double time it!" Her squad and the Quarians formed up on her as she headed towards the door.

She didn't feel bad leaving Miranda behind, which surprised her for a moment.But then she realized it was because she had left her with Revan. She had experienced the warrior’s healing powers first hand, so she knew Miranda would be okay. Besides, if her guess was correct the Cerberus officer wouldn't mind having some alone time with Revan that required some touching.

Surprisingly the thought didn't make her laugh or grin mischievously, like she often did when sending women after Garrus. Probably because deep down she doubted Revan was even interested. She didn't seem to have any kind of interest in personal relationships.

Shepard could be wrong though, as the warrior was damn difficult to read. After all she never would have suspected Revan knew she was having issues and cared enough to try to help, albeit from a distance. She still needed to thank the warrior for that, although she was certain Revan didn't want to be thanked. Still, it had been rather sweet of her to ensure she got the support she needed.

Shepard hit the shutter controls and saw a massive colossus stand up and fire its main cannon right at her. "DOWN!" she bellowed, throwing herself onto the floor.

The room shook, and dust and debris showered over her as the building was hit. She rose to see a missile streak from a position just below the shutters and strike the colossus, causing it to shift its attention off her.

She quickly led the squad out of the room, down a ramp where she saw another Quarian in red armor firing another rocket towards the colossus. "Kal'Reegar?"

"You must be Shepard. Heard a hell of a lot about you. Sure hope you live up to the hype because I could use your help." He glanced past her to the rest of the squad. "Thank you for getting my marines out alive, but now we have to fight through these Geth to get to Tali."

"Is she safe?" Shepard asked, signalling the squad forward to take positions along the balcony.

"She's locked up tight in a bunker up there. But that Colossus dropped right in front of the door and prevented me from getting back to her. It's got a repair protocol so we need to take it out quick or else it'll just fix itself."

"Alright 'Reegar, my squad will move up and take it out, you and your marines stay back and keep us safe from any reinforcements."

"Negative, those bastards killed half my marines, I'm not—"

"Look you guys have been through hell already, let my team handle it. Keep our flanks secure and keep the rest of your people alive. We don't need any more casualties." She could understand the Quarian’s desire to fight after watching so many of his people killed.

But Shepard could see by his heavy breathing and slightly sluggish movements that he was exhausted, likely wounded too. The other Quarians were not faring any better. If they tried to engage these Geth they would just get killed.

"Alright, we do it your way. We'll keep your ass secure. Make them pay!"

"With pleasure," she replied, giving him a wicked grin. "Grunt, Jack on me, we’re powering through these bastards right to the colossus. Garrus take the others and get into a good position and take out any machine that moves."

A series of acknowledgements answered her and Shepard wasted no time in jumping from cover and sprinting across the open ground, dropping a Geth who was moving from cover. They had to move quickly to avoid fire from the colossus. She had spied a walkway on the far right that would lead them right to the colossus.

Grunt and Jack were right behind her as she ran, firing their weapons or hurling biotics at any Geth they could see but they never stopped running. They came to the bridge and Grunt dropped a nearby trooper with a shot to the face. In the middle of the bridge she saw a large Geth begin to shimmer as it cloaked. She immediately activated her charge and slammed into the large machine.

The thing fell to the ground with the force of the blast; Shepard followed it down in an attempt to avoid incoming Geth fire from ahead. She fell flat on the still functioning hunter; she slammed the barrel of her shotgun right into the thing’s head and fired twice for good measure.

Grunt and Jack charged past her to engage the Geth at the end of the bridge. Shepard rose and quickly finished crossing the bridge. She stopped at the edge of a pillar; glancing around it she saw the colossus but was quickly forced back into cover as the nearby troopers began firing at her.

She pulled her head back as bullets slammed into the pillar. "Alright everyone, when I hit this thing with our new toy everyone pour everything into the colossus before it repairs." Another series of acknowledgements were received as she pulled the brand new black hole launcher from her back.

She began charging it up before spinning around the pillar and firing the swirling black ball of energy at the colossus. She switched to her mattock as the ball began to expand and nearby Geth soldiers were pulled towards the swirling center. She and every other squad member began pouring fire into the colossus; she also saw one of 'Reegar's missiles hit the thing. The ball of energy exploded outward obliterating the Geth foot soldiers and staggering the colossus. Within a minute the thing exploded as the unending torrent of fire finally killed it.

Shepard moved forward with Grunt and Jack, making sure there were no more Geth before moving to the bunker door. She hit the call button. "Tali, it’s Shepard, it's all clear out here, open up."

"Shepard?" came the surprised response. The door quickly unlocked and she walked inside to find the Quarian typing away on a console at the far end. She turned at Shepard's approach. "Shepard what are you doing here?"

"Well good to see you too Tali!" she replied with a grin, walking up to her friend.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, just surprised."

"Well it isn't just a social call. I was hoping to persuade you to help me take out the Collectors." She remembered asking the Quarian to help her on Freedom's Progress, but she had declined, stating she had important work to do.

"Now that I am all done here, I would be happy to join you Shepard. But did 'Reegar make it?" The Quarian’s voice took on a very concerned tone as she mentioned the squad leader.

"He and some of the Quarians made it. Come on. We will link up with them and get everything sorted."

* * *

 

"So what do you think?"

"Cerberus, really Shepard?"

Shepard wasn't surprised that the Quarian had gone there first. She knew her people had issues with the organization. Which is why it was just her and Garrus in the briefing room with her.

"I know, believe me if I had another option I would take it. For now I need their resources, but trust me when I say this is my mission. No matter what Timmy thinks."

"Timmy?"

"Shepard's new fun little name for The Illusive Man," explained Garrus with a chuckle.

"I need your help Tali, but give the crew here a chance—they’re good people. I made it clear from day one that my loyalties aren't with Cerberus and no one has yet to walk out." It wouldn't surprise her if some of the crew were spies, but as far as the ground team was concerned, she trusted them. They would not jeopardize the mission just for Cerberus's gain.

"Alright Shepard, I'll do it for you. Who knows, maybe it'll be just like old times."

"It's starting to feel that way," said Garrus with another laugh.

"Go and take a look at the ship, we got a few new upgrades that I’m sure you’ll love," said Shepard, knowing her friend would be itching to get a look at the new Normandy.

"Also go down to the cargo bay and have a chat with our galactic traveler. She's building us a laser cannon at the moment," added Garrus with a grin.

"What? Galactic traveler?"

"Oh did I forget to mention we have a chick from another galaxy on board? Who’s also a technological genius and possesses a power that makes biotics look like child's play?"

The Quarian started at her for a long minute, which only made Shepard grin. "You’re serious…"

"Dead serious. Don't ask me how it's possible, way too much smart people speak for me to understand. But I’m sure you two will get along very well, she's a bit of a genius herself. She already improved our infantry weapons to never overheat, improved our shield technology and as Garrus said she is building us a laser cannon."

Shepard decided to leave out the droid part for now. Revan had assured her she would notify her before activating it, so Shepard had time to talk with Tali. Besides she still had to tell the Quarian about EDI…one thing at a time.

"That's…incredible. I'll go down there right away!" The excitement in the Quarian’s voice was easily audible; she almost jumped in the air as she spoke. God the woman was practically giddy.

"Get a feel for the ship first," said Shepard, trying to calm her friend down. The Quarian was cute when she got excited. "You’ll have a chance to ask her all your questions at supper."

"Alright, I admit I am curious to see the changes made to the Normandy."

"Tali, one more thing…this ship is equipped with an AI." She braced herself for the Quarian’s reaction, expecting the worst. She was pleasantly surprised however.

"As long as it's shackled and it stays away from me and my business I won’t do anything. But watch it Shepard, I know I will." That was all Tali said as she left the briefing room.

"So why'd you stop her from talking to Revan right away?" asked Garrus

Shepard just shook her head at her friend’s insightfulness. "I need to make sure she has the droid hidden away, don't want Tali going ballistic before she’s been here for more than a day."

"Makes sense, although I'm surprised she took the news about EDI that well."

"Our little Tali is growing up," said Shepard with a grin as she left the room with Garrus. The Turian just laughed in response.

They split off at the elevator, Garrus getting off at the crew deck while she continued down to the cargo bay. She knocked once on Revan's doorframe—she had created a door out of what looked like a sheet. Shepard couldn't help but laugh as she thought about how the woman had really just made herself a fort down here.

"Come in," Revan called from inside.

Shepard pushed the sheet aside and stepped in the room. As usual the room was perfectly tidy. The only new thing was the presence of what looked like a mechanical torso sitting on the workbench that was not occupied by the sea green armor.

Dammit she was really curious about the deal with that armor, but had never asked. She always seemed to forget to ask. Revan spun around in the chair to face her, the consoles behind the warrior each displaying information Shepard couldn't make out.

"What can I do for you?"

"I was going to ask you to hide your droid but looks like you have taken care of that," she said, knocking on the metal torso for emphasis.

"Yeah, that's the only complete piece so there’s no danger of her seeing anything else out there that will make her think of a droid."

"Good, I want to ease her into it. It will probably be easier too once you can get her all excited about the laser cannon."

"I'll do my best."

"By the way," Shepard began, suddenly remembering that Revan had never actually come back from helping Miranda on the planet. "What happened to you and Miranda after we left? You two didn't show up until the shuttle came in for extraction."

"Geth reinforcements came in, so we stopped them from hitting your flank."

"Oh shit, thanks for that, I just assumed you two were making out or something," she said with a grin. She was certain they weren't but it would be interesting to see what kind of a reaction that got from the warrior.

"I can assure you that did not happen," Revan’s reply was perfectly calm. Although Shepard did note that it seemed to get slightly more serious.

"Just teasing you," Shepard said with a smile. "Anyway thanks for helping her out and dealing with those reinforcements."

"It was no trouble."

"Well I need to go clean up. See you at dinner. Oh and be prepared for Tali to bombard you with questions."

"I assumed she would have a lot of questions."

"Mind if I ask you a question?" she asked as she turned to see the green armor and remembered her curiosity.

"What is it?"

"What's with the green armor? I mean I’ve never seen you wear it, it's always just sitting on that table." She had also noted that it was always perfectly clean and arranged in a very precise manner. Now that she really thought about it…it was almost as if it was—

"It belonged to someone else," Revan replied. Her voice had dropped ever so slightly but Shepard picked up on it.

The way Revan had answered, and the answer itself, told Shepard that the warrior really didn't want to talk about it. She actually felt stupid for not guessing earlier. The armor was a memorial of some kind. For who she had no idea but it was clear that they had been important to Revan.

"Right, sorry for prying. See you at supper!" Shepard quickly left the room, feeling like a gigantic ass. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up painful memories. She knew how much that sucked.

Still she couldn't help but wonder who the armor had belonged to. Revan's use of the past tense hinted to her that the owner was gone. Had it been a close friend? Girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, mother, father? She really knew nothing about the woman's personal life so guessing the owner was almost impossible.

Clearly they had been important though, so she supposed now she knew a little bit more about Revan. Even though it wasn't something pleasant it still pleased her that she was learning about her.

Shepard would admit that she worried about the warrior a little bit. After all the shit she had been through, her current situation couldn't be easy. The fact that she seemed to be all alone probably didn't help either.

Shepard knew that Revan was the kind of person that tried to deal with problems on their own, that was blatantly obvious. She couldn't begrudge the warrior for being the way she was, after all Shepard was pretty much the same. But the key difference was she had friends like Garrus and Tali who were there to help her even though she would never ask for it. Revan didn’t have that.

The thing that did frustrate Shepard was that the woman made it very damn hard for her to become her friend. What was more frustrating was that she seemed to be getting along fairly well with everyone else. No one really had anything bad to say about her, and  chatted with other members of the crew when they came down to visit, called them by their name.

What the fuck was up with that anyway? Why did she always call her Commander? EVERYBODY at least added in Shepard after her rank. The redhead still couldn't figure out if Revan had some kind of problem with her or not. The warrior was never outwardly hostile towards her and had saved her ass a few times, but Revan wasn't as friendly with her as she was with the others.

Again though Shepard began to think that perhaps it was her fault. All the time Revan spent with the others came from shared interests. Miranda and the others often talked to her about technology and the like. Shepard just wasn't interested in that. Sure she liked technology and was always a fan of things that made a big explosion, but any of the science aspects of it that were beyond the basic knowledge she needed always went right over her head. Probably from not getting a basic fucking education before she was eighteen.

Shepard walked into her cabin and began tossing her armor on the sofa. Okay, so if she couldn't get to bond with Revan through science talk what else did they have? They both liked fighting, the military, maybe she liked literature or music. Those would all be good starting points.

At least Shepard knew for certain they could bond a little over military aspects. She could see if Revan was into books, introduce her to some favorites or maybe try to turn her onto the best type of music. It would be nice to have another person on board who listened to something other than shit.

Hell if all that failed she could try bonding with the warrior over fighting., There were probably a good few tricks she could teach Shepard about melee combat—maybe she could get Revan to teach her how to use a sword!

Shepard had a huge smile on her face as she considered the last idea, that would be fun. It also gave her the idea of training with Revan in general. They were both close quarters specialists so it would be beneficial for her to spar with the warrior as it was apparent the woman was immensely skilled.

As Shepard turned on her shower her earlier frustration was completely forgotten. She had no one to blame but herself for not knowing Revan better. She had not put in the effort. Now she had ideas of how to change that and it made her grin like an idiot. Deep, deep down part of her quietly wondered why she was trying so hard to get to know Revan.


	15. Shifting Relationships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revan's speech comes from a combination of her accent and how she was raised.
> 
> Bonus points to whoever spots the South Park reference!

 Revan had to admit that the Normandy's cook certainly was good. Apparently though some of the credit belonged to the commander as she ensured he was always stocked with good supplies and not just military rations. It had taken Revan a little time to familiarize herself with the names of the foods in this galaxy; thankfully most of them had been very similar to the foods she was used to just with different names.

This evening's meal consisted of a cheeseburger for the main course and French fries on the side. Revan had learned this was the commander’s absolute favorite meal, a point highlighted as she finished her second cheeseburger. If Miranda hadn't explained to her that biotics naturally required a higher calorie intake than normal she would have been shocked. Although Revan had to admit it had been amusing to watch how excited the redhead got over the meal.

Revan was also surprised that she had even been able to finish her own meal. She had been expecting the Quarian to bombard her with questions all evening, but she had yet to show up. She could sense the alien below them on the engineering deck. Both Garrus and the commander had noted that she was probably still running through the ship’s new systems.

"Sweet mother of god that was good," said the commander with a satisfied grin as she pushed her once more empty plate away. "Rupert my good man, you win Shepard's favorite person of the day award."

"Does it come with a pay raise?" asked the mess sergeant with a faint laugh

"I've won it three times, still no raise and she still tells me to shut up on a daily basis," said the ship’s pilot, finishing off the last of his meal.

"Shut up Joker," replied the commander with a grin. "I insult you because I can. Never upset the man who cooks for your food, that's just common sense."

"But insulting the guy who flies your ship is okay?"

"Rupert can poison me. The worst you can do is not pick me up when I ask you to."

"I could fly us right into a sun," the pilot shot back.

"Nah you love the ship too much. Sorry Joker but you’ll just have to continue to put up with my horrible abuse." The commander's grin got even bigger as she gave the pilot a friendly wink.

Revan watched the entire conversation with mild interest; she had never seen a commanding officer act with their crew in such a way. Off duty she acted like a friend to everyone under her command, yet she still maintained such respect among the crew. Even those of the Cerberus crew were quickly becoming utterly loyal to the woman.

Frankly Revan had no idea how she was able to keep such an amazing balance. She could switch from friend to commander in an instant and that switch was felt by everyone around her, causing everyone to switch roles with her.

The utter devotion the warrior could see in many of the crew’s eyes, especially in someone like Garrus—it was astounding. If the commander was hurting then everyone felt it, everyone reacted to it and would all rally behind her. Not because she was some heroic figure who was guaranteed to lead them to victory, but because she was their friend. It was as simple as that.

Meetra was the only other person Revan had ever encountered that could form this kind of relationship with those under their command. Yet her loyalty was born from a different quality. She had been popular among her soldiers because of her compassion and kindness. Never once did she raise her voice or berate anyone under her command, something Revan was certain no other officer could do while still being incredibly successful.

Meetra cared for those under her command, would do anything to keep them alive. But in the end she still understood the need for sacrifice, which is why her soldiers had come to respect her so much. They knew that the possibility of being ordered to their death was present, but they could also see that it broke their commanders' heart whenever the decision had to be made.

The difference was subtle but somehow, Revan saw it. Meetra cared for and protected her soldiers, but she never let them get so close that she couldn't order them into a situation that would get them killed.

The commander wasn't like that. She cared for and protected those under her but she also made them into a family of sorts. Revan knew without a doubt that the commander would give up her own life if it meant saving someone like Garrus or Tali.

It was surprising that for the first time since their meeting she saw a difference between the two women. What was more surprising was how subtle the difference was. On a broad scope they were very similar in their command styles, yet somehow all she saw was the difference. Why was that?

Perhaps it was because she had been trying so hard to keep her distance from the commander that she had gained some new kind of detached perspective. It was definitely an interesting development. However, Revan’s brief moment of clarity was shattered as her mind had begun to wander and Meetra's face filled her mind. Revan quickly shut out the images, forcing her mind to think of something else, anything else.

"There you are!" exclaimed the commander.

"Sorry, I needed to finish running a diagnostic on the new drive core," Tali explained as she walked into the mess. Garrus pulled out the empty chair on his left for the Quarian to sit.

"Well a few people already took off but I can introduce you to most of the crew now." The commander went around the table and introduced every crew member to the Quarian. Revan was surprised she knew everyone's first and last name without even having to think.

"And the lady who looks like she’s about to go to war over there is Revan, the galactic traveller I told you about."

Revan gave a polite nod to the Quarian, whose glowing eyes seemed to get bigger as they rested on the warrior.

"I can't believe that you are actually from another galaxy. You must be far more advanced than us if you can travel such incredible distances."

"Actually, we don't possess that technology. It was a freak accident with an experimental hyperdrive engine that sent me here. The odds of it being replicated are astronomically low."

"What's a hyperdrive engine?" The Quarian’s excitement was clear in her voice. She had leaned forward slightly and her eyes never strayed from the warrior.

"It's our method of star travel. The best way for you to imagine it would be to think of a mass relay small enough to fit into a starship, allowing travel between planets in designated and explored pathways." She was certain the Quarian would want further details later on, but for now she would go with the very simple version.

"That's incredible! Your level of technology is clearly far above ours."

"From what I’ve seen, yeah. Certain basic technologies are still very similar though."

"Show her your lightsaber," said the commander with a grin.

Revan reached down and unclipped the weapon, holding it out so the Quarian could get a good view as she hit the activation button. The alien, along with several of the crew who had never actually seen the weapon, jumped in their seats.

"It's a blade of pure plasma inside a force containment field, which allows it to keep the shape and also contains the immense heat it produces."

"That's amazing." The Quarian was in awe as she looked at the shimmering red blade. Revan was certain she was trying to figure out exactly how it worked.

“She’s also got a whip version of that,” Shepard added with a grin. “Never did ask about that. Bit of a dominatrix are ya?” The redhead wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” The words slipped from Revan’s mouth before she could stop herself. But the look of surprise that entered the commander’s face was so comical it washed away her worry. Everyone at the table laughed at the redhead, who was gaping like a fish.

“Someone finally got you!” Joker shouted, smacking the table as he laughed.

"I'll take it apart sometime and show you how it works," she offered, looking back to the Quarian, shutting off the weapon and returning it to her belt. She had already done it for Miranda and she was certain the Quarian would be more than delighted to see as well.

"I would appreciate that. Garrus also mentioned that you are building some kind of laser weapon."

"A laser cannon yes. Laser weapons are common place where I come from. The construction of the actual weapon is simple. I assume you are aware of how a laser is formed?" The Quarian gave a quick nod so she continued. "Well we improved on the design to form what we call a bolt, commonly called a blaster bolt. Essentially the bolt is a highly compressed and focused high energy particle beam. We create ‘em by the use of a crystal or gas, as ya might expect. However the gas that is most commonly used greatly amplifies the power of the bolt. Now as lasers are uncommon in this galaxy I haven’t found a substance that’s comparable to the gas we used. I’m gonna try and synthesize the gas from materials here. Once I get the formula right then the canon should have the same destructive power it did in my galaxy."

"This galaxy is home to many substances that can be used for creation of lasers," said Mordin. "Would it not be more efficient to use them?"

"From the tests I ran nothin’ in this galaxy can offer the power than Tibanna gas does. But, if I fail ta synthesize it then I’ll use an already existing compound. I can then alter the properties of the cannons ta hopefully compensate for the loss of power."

Revan understood what the Salarian meant and she had considered it. However the materials she was using to create Tibanna gas were very common, and if she could get the formula correct then it would be very simple to create it in quantities large enough to equip her fleets.

"Come down to the cargo bay tomorrow afternoon and you can help out with the construction," Revan said, looking back to the Quarian.

"Every day from noon to supper it's a gathering of all the smart people," said the commander with a laugh. "You'll love it Tali. Lots of big words and getting your hands dirty."

"I would have thought you loved getting dirty Shepard," snickered Joker.

"I don’t know any other way," she replied, giving the man a very playful grin and wink that probably sent a good number of the crew’s pulse racing.

Revan was positive that a good number of the crew were much more interested in the conversation now She actually had to suppress a laugh at seeing the subtle changes in many of the men's and a few of the women's body language. The commander certainly knew how to take people by surprise.

"I don't understand. Shepard you get dirty all the time in the field," said Tali, clearly missing the entire joke and unknowingly making it even better.

The commander and many of the crew burst out laughing with the Quarian looking around at everyone, very confused. Revan felt a grin tug at the corner of her mouth. It seemed Tali was quite naïve. Of course, being an alien she likely didn't understand human innuendo. Living life in a suit probably made such knowledge even more scarce.

"Oh Tali," said the commander, calming her laughter. "I’ve missed you. I'll explain to you later."

"I'd like to hear you explain it now," said Joker, grinning like an idiot.

"Shut up Joker."

"Again with the verbal abuse! I'm so flying us into a sun."

Revan rose as the banter continued. She deposited her plates in the sink and headed towards the elevator. They could go on in that fashion for a long time and frankly she had nothing to contribute.

As she got into the elevator Miranda quickly stepped inside before she hit the button for the cargo bay. The Cerberus officer hit the button for the CIC before speaking. "The Illusive Man wants to meet you. I figured now would be the best time, while everyone else is occupied."

"Is this meeting a secret then?" Revan asked, putting her helmet back on.

"No," she answered after a few seconds hesitation. "He just wants to meet you to get a feel for you. He carefully selected all the crew for this mission. You’re an unknown to him and he doesn't like that."

"Very well." Revan knew that the commander had not been informed of the meeting, but was this Miranda's idea or The Illusive Man’s? She suspected the officer would not conceal this from the commander unless she had been asked to.

This was a surprising turn of events, but a very useful one. Revan could finally get a read on the leader of Cerberus and figure out if her suspicions about the organization were correct. Once she knew where they stood it would make her plans much more efficient.

"I also wanted to thank you again, for saving me on Haestrom."

"You don't need to thank me. I wasn't about to let you die." Revan was fairly certain that the woman was reading a bit too much into her actions on the planet. The warrior’s shields and armor were more than adequate protection against the drones. As for the primes…well she had healed that scratch quickly.

Miranda was likely not a woman used to both needing to be rescued nor actually being rescued. Her personality and demeanour meant she was not one to make friends, thus Revan was certain very few people would actually take a bullet for her.

True a small part of her motivation had come from the fact that she genuinely liked the woman. However even if she didn't her actions would not have changed. Miranda was an incredibly valuable asset and they couldn't afford to lose her.

Revan noted a faint smile on the officer’s lips as they walked into the briefing room. Miranda pressed a key on the table and it sank into the floor, exposing the circle that was in the middle. She gestured for Revan to step in the center, and as she did she could instantly hear and see herself being scanned.

Her vision shifted, seeing through computerized eyes. She was standing in the middle of a dark room; a bright orange star filled the large view port along the far wall. The only other thing in the room was a lone man who sat casually in a chair, regarding Revan with a curious expression.

"So you're Revan. I've heard a lot about you." The man's voice was perfectly calm, if somewhat detached. "I understand we have you to thank for the upgrades to our weapon systems and also several of Shepard’s recent victories."

"I've been assisting where I can," Revan replied, keeping her voice perfectly level. She could feel those unnatural blue eyes searching her, trying to glean anything she could.

"I understand that you have promised to help our galaxy in its fight against the Reapers. From the reports I’ve read it appears you will be a great help. But I’m sure someone of your background can understand my hesitance to trust you. After all we know nothing about you."

"I can understand. You took great care in putting this mission together; it would be unfortunate if it were disrupted."

"Exactly. Operative Lawson however assures me that you have been nothing but helpful since coming aboard. While I trust her judgement I still felt it was good if we met face to face, as it were."

"I take it you wish to discern where my true loyalties lie. Whether it be to myself, the commander, someone or something else." Revan watched as the man before her hesitated, taking a long drag of his cigarette to cover up the hesitation.

"Not the way I would put it, but yes. We don't know when the Reapers will invade. This begs the question, what will you do once the Collectors are dealt with?"

"I had not considered that. My focus has been on the current mission." She did not know how much information The Illusive Man had on her. If he had everything that Revan had revealed to various members of the crew then the only truly useful information was that Revan was a general of some renown, possessed advanced technology and an unknown power.

"I see. I’m sure you have heard many things about Cerberus. However no matter what people say you should know that we serve only humanity’s best interests. With your knowledge and power you could greatly aid us in preparing for the Reapers."

She had been correct then. This was an attempt to find out definitively where she stood, to see if she could be swayed. The Illusive Man was making a list. In his mind you were either with him or against him. It was as she suspected. The fact that The Illusive Man was wasting no time in jumping right into his offer made it clear that there were only two outcomes.

She could accept the coming offer, and work with Cerberus to develop weapons technologies. Anything else would be interpreted as a refusal. But what would be the repercussions of refusal? Would she simply be killed outright? No that was too simple and crude for a man who led such a powerful organization. Capture was more likely. There was also the possibility that they would try to steal her weapon designs that were currently aboard the Normandy.

Theft and coercion were the most likely options. But would it be torture or a more subtle means? Her mind instantly went to Miranda. She had a suspicion that the officer had been developing some feelings for her. The question then was how far would she go to advance Cerberus's goals? Just how loyal was she to The Illusive Man?

Of all the crew members she was the best option to try and subtly get information from the warrior. Revan had spent the most time with her and they had conversed in depth about several topics, including culture.

Yes, the more she thought about it the more likely the option seemed. No doubt reports were being sent to The Illusive Man detailing what happed on the ship. Personnel reports were bound to mention the time she spent with Miranda.

Even the commander had made a joke about there being something between the two of them. It would not surprise her if more of the crew thought this way. So that was one option. If that failed, or if her hopes for Miranda proved true and she showed loyalties outside Cerberus, the next option was capture.

Revan almost laughed at that thought. It would be amusing to watch them try. The attempt would not come until after the Collectors had been dealt with. The Illusive Man would not risk losing the commander’s commitment to the mission by abducting one of her crew. But after the mission many of them would likely go their separate ways to help prepare for the Reapers, just as they had done after Saren. Revan would definitely have to leave the ship in order to oversee her plans.

Abduction or assassination were the only two paths she could foresee. The decision she faced now then was what to tell the man before her. She would not work for the organization, she did not agree with their goals. But did she outright refuse or did she try to bluff her way through as long as possible? It would be simple to give them flawed weapons designs and other false information.

The other option was flat out refusal. If she did that then The Illusive Man would immediately begin enacting his plans for Revan. This would also make him more prepared for possible retaliation, as the information he had should tell him Revan would not go quietly.

Revan looked over to where she could feel Miranda watching everything. If she played it right, she could expose just how severely flawed this man's goals were. She could start to lay the groundwork for Miranda to question her loyalties. If Revan could turn her then she would deprive Cerberus of one of its most useful assets.

"Cerberus can give you the resources and capabilities to produce weapons and other technologies that will prepare us for the Reapers."

Revan couldn't help but grin; this man really had no idea who he was dealing with. "And these weapons would be used to defend humanity against the Reapers?"

"Of course, that is our primary goal, it always has been." The reply came without hesitation.

"Let me pose a hypothetical scenario then. The Reapers invade and begin attacking the Turians with massive force. Human territories are left alone for the moment. Would you pull back, consolidate human forces and better prepare yourself for the inevitable attack? Or would you send your fleets to aid the Turians?"

She used the Turians for two reasons. First because she was aware of the war the two species had fought and that there was still some animosity between the two. Secondly because the Turians would be a likely first target for the Reapers as they had the largest military force in the galaxy. She waited patiently as The Illusive Man took another long drag.

"I would pull back our forces. If we consolidated our strength it would give us a better chance of resisting the Reapers. The Turians and other races would do the same. It would be a waste to throw our forces at an enemy that we were not prepared to face. However we could offer them provisional aids such as materials and supplies. Once our own borders were secure we could send more direct military aid."

Revan nodded, exactly as she suspected. The man was for the dominance of humanity. He tried to make the decision sound rational and the most tactically wise, Revan had purposely made that sound like the best option. The Illusive Man had only added in the last bit about aiding the Turians to make himself seem more open minded.

"As I thought. A foolish mistake made by a fanatic who knows absolutely nothing about war." She was purposely goading the man here; she was also ensuring she got Miranda's complete attention. The Illusive Man's eyes widened and his shoulders went rigid.

"The Reapers will count on winning by division of conquest. Overwhelm one opponent and the others immediately look to their own defenses. You refuse to help the Turians because you believe that you can somehow use this coming war to put humanity on the top. For that naïve belief you’re a fool. Only by presenting a unified front can you hope to defeat the Reapers. When one is attacked everyone must answer the call or we will lose. By ignoring the Turians plight you hasten their defeat and in turn hasten your own. Your narrow minded, xenophobic beliefs blind you from properly facing the threat. So no I will not help you. You fight only for humanity. I fight for this galaxy and everyone in it."

Revan smirked as the man's earlier calm demeanour was shattered and he was almost visibly shaking with rage. She knew how to push the buttons of a person like this. Insult their beliefs, their intelligence and you could watch them break in an instant.

"Don't you dare think you have any idea who I am or what I am willing to do!"

Revan couldn’t have hoped for a better reaction. Not only did he reveal that he didn’t care what methods he employed, but he showed he was incapable of responding to hostility with an even, controlled manner. In a war he would make rash mistakes, fueled by emotions and ridiculous beliefs.

Working with him would only hinder her own plans. She would have to work twice as hard to keep everything hidden. Massive misdirections for resources and plans, flawed schematics that would have to appear genuine. It was not worth the hassle. What resources he could offer she could gain elsewhere. 

The warrior didn't even respond as she turned and walked out of the circle, ending the transmission. She looked over to Miranda whose expression was a mixture of shock, concern, and even a little bit of…admiration?

"That didn't go as well as I hoped," she said after a moment.

"I spoke my mind," Revan replied with a shrug. "His beliefs blind him to reality." Revan let her words sink in for a moment. Their eyes stayed locked the entire time, and she decided to take it one step further. "Don't let them blind you too. You owe loyalty only to those who deserve it and will return it." She said nothing more as she left the room, leaving the Cerberus agent alone with her thoughts.

She had potential, but it would go unrealized if she couldn't break free from Cerberus. She was a smart woman though; Revan had confidence that she would see reality. The warrior hoped she did. She was, after all, on the top of the list of potential recruits for a central command.

* * *

 

Shepard grinned to herself as she rode the elevator down. It was time to enact her plan. It was early in the morning, brutally early. But she figured Revan was the type to always be up early. She had that vibe about her. So, the redhead had decided to move her own exercise time to this ungodly hour.

Her hope was to catch Revan before she woke. Then she would figure some way to wake the warrior up. They could exercise together, or…something. Shepard didn’t have all the areas of her plan worked out yet. Step one: get Revan’s attention. Step two: something happens. Step three: profit! Frankly, it was a brilliant plan.

Just as the elevator came to a rest, Shepard popped her headphones in and began looking through her music. Couldn’t work out without the perfect songs after all. She kept her eyes down as she left the elevator, music blasting in her ears as she began picking her playlist.

She made her way over to where she knew the table was. Happy with her selection she started to unzip her hoodie, looking up as she did. Her hand had just touched the zipper when she froze. Her eyes went wide, her mouth hung open, and her heartbeat picked up.

Revan was awake. Revan was working out. Revan wasn’t wearing armour. Revan wasn’t wearing robes. Revan was wearing a red sports bra and black sweatpants. Revan. Was. Fucking. Jacked!

Shepard’s eyes traced over the most perfect body she had ever seen in her life. The warrior’s arms were bigger than the redhead’s thighs, bulging with muscles that flexed so damn beautifully with every movement. Her bronze skin glistened with sweat. Shepard also noted the woman’s arms were covered in tattoo’s, writing of some kind, but it was tough to make out as the woman pulverized the punching bag.

As if those arms weren’t a perfect enough sight, the sweat pants hugged thick, muscled, and oh so very long legs. And then there was the ass. Good god her ass. Shepard had to actually check if her nose was bleeding. It looked so firm, so…so squeezable!

Unsurprisingly the woman’s back and shoulders also rippled with muscle. Shepard’s eyes followed the beads of sweat as they raced down the warrior’s spine. Those tattoos seemed to extend over Revan’s shoulders and go down her back. They flowed around a design in the center of Revan’s back, but she could only make out the edges, as the warrior’s top hid it from view.

The only thing that could distract Shepard from drooling over the muscles and tattoos were the deep scars that also covered the woman’s back. Multiple long, thin scars ran down Revan’s back. The only thing Shepard could think of that was capable of doing that was either a whip, or a blade.

Suddenly, Revan turned, bright silver eyes locking with shining, if slightly glazed over emeralds. Shepard tried, she really tried to stop herself, but she couldn’t help it. Her eyes travelled down, taking in Revan’s small, but respectable and unsurprisingly, perky bust. Her eyes rested on a stomach that looked like it was made from steel. It wasn’t as defined as she expected, but fuck did it look firm. She also noted a dozen other small scar or burn marks across the warrior’s body.

“Yer down here early,” Revan spoke. Her voice was steady, despite her obvious exertion.

Shepard tore her eyes away from the stomach she had the sudden urge to lick and back up to bright silver eyes.

"Uh…y-yeah I needed to change my workout time to get away from Jacob," Shepard stammered. It was so hard to talk all of a sudden.

“Don’t like his company?” Revan arched an eyebrow, looking sexy as all hell.

"N-no!” Shepard coughed, trying to cover up her sudden nervousness. This was not at all what she imagined happening!  “Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but I’m pretty sure he thinks he can impress me by showing off how much he can bench or how many damn crunches he can do." _Even though you could do more. Oh my god. She could bench me._ Shepard had to close her mouth so she didn’t drool.

Over the last week Jacob had been working out at the same times she did. He always made sure he was shirtless within five minutes and constantly making sure he was in the best visible position. He also never counted his reps in his head, but said them just loud enough for her to hear. She was used to men doing this all the time but it was still damn annoying. She had been planning to move her workout to get away from Jacob anyway; her plan had just shifted slightly to help her out with Revan.

No, she was kicking herself for not doing this sooner. Revan was a much nicer sight than Jacob. If Shepard wasn’t gay before, she sure as hell was now. She was sure little rainbows were probably visible in her eyes right now.

"Yeah I’d been noticin’ that. I don't think he realizes that raw strength can be negated in a fight."

“Really?” Shepard asked, almost chuckling. “This coming from She-Hulk?” She gestured to the massive woman.

“What’s that?” Revan asked, cocking her head in a ridiculously adorable manner.

“Big green chick, uh, old reference. Never mind. I’m saying you’re fucking huge!” Shepard wanted to slap herself for blurting that last part out.

“Uh…okay….” Revan looked away then, and her posture seemed to become more rigid as she walked over to a nearby table, grabbing a towel. “I’ll…I’ll leave you to your workout then.” Revan actually sounded…uncomfortable?

 _Shit!_ Shepard cursed internally, what had she said? “Hang on!” she called quickly, and only when Revan stopped did she realize that she had nothing to say.

Her mind raced, trying to figure out what she had done to make the warrior uncomfortable. It had happened right after she commented on the woman’s size. Was…was Revan embarrassed about how big she was? That didn’t seem right. But she couldn’t think of any other reason.

“I didn’t mean it like a bad thing,” Shepard quickly explained, hoping she was right. “I’m incredibly jealous of how crazy in shape you are.” _And SUPER turned on._ “And s—”

_Don’t say that out loud idiot!_

“Surprised. I thought a lot of your bulk was from your armour.” Shepard was actually impressed with her recovery there. “You look great!”

_So close…_

“A lot of people do,” Revan replied, sounding slightly less tense. “But...thanks.” She rubbed the back of her neck, and Shepard would go to her grave swearing the woman actually looked embarrassed.

“Anyway I was hoping you wouldn’t mind of I worked out down here with you. Be nice to exercise with someone who isn’t trying to impress me.” There was no way in hell Jacob could even come close to impressing her now.

“Of course,” Revan nodded, taking a step towards the gym area. “What did you want to use? So I don’t get in your way.”

“Maybe I’ll practice some combat drills,” Shepard answered with an easy grin. “Show Jacob the error of his ways.”

"I would suggest working on your foot work first. It's atrocious."

"Excuse me?" she replied, only slightly feigning insult.

"I noticed over our time together that you’re more of a brawler than anything, same as Jacob. While ya do have a much higher agility than him, ya don't have the technique to properly utilize it." The warrior’s tone was slightly less neutral than it usually was when she spoke to the redhead. Instead she was starting to sound like she did when talking to Miranda or Garrus, her accent becoming slightly more pronounced.

"That right?" Shepard replied, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing the woman with a playful grin. "Them’s fightin' words!"

Revan cocked her head very faintly, but Shepard had figured out the subtle movement was something she did when confused. It didn't happen often; usually it was because of some ridiculous shit Shepard had said, like now. Still the movement was kind of cute. She unzipped her hoodie, tossing it aside and walking towards a clear area of the room. She was only…slightly self conscious about how much smaller she was than this woman.

"Come on then, show me the error of my ways oh wise one." She was still grinning at the warrior, and it got even bigger after a minute when Revan dropped her towel and moved forward, squaring off with the redhead, several feet away.

Wasting no time, Shepard bolted forward, throwing a punch right at the warrior’s face. Fully expecting the attack to be blocked, she was ready with a follow up strike to her gut. She stumbled forward as Revan practically disappeared she moved so quickly. She flowed right past the attack; Shepard gritted her teeth as two lightning quick blows hammered into her ribs and kidneys. She was certain Revan had pulled those punches, otherwise her ribs would probably be broken.

“Don’t you dare hold back,” Shepard growled, spinning to face her opponent.

Revan’s ready position was far different than hers. She was lower; hands held completely different, almost like some crazy form of martial arts. Damnit, Shepard knew she was going to lose this fight. She just hoped it wasn't too bad.

Moving forward again she threw a quick jab at the warrior’s ribs, but it was easily deflected and she followed with another jab to the throat. Revan grabbed her arm in mid-strike; she tried to punch the warrior’s exposed face, knowing she could never break that iron grip, but all of a sudden she felt a pressure on her legs and before Shepard knew it her back was slamming into the ground, the air rushing from her lungs.

Pushing through the pain she launched herself back onto her feet, barely managing to dodge the punch that came a second later. Revan jabbed at her chest. She managed to step back and grab the warrior’s wrist. But that was a huge mistake.

Revan simply whipped her arm to the side, causing Shepard to stumble. She had to let go of the arm before she fell flat on her face. A second later her legs were kicked out again and she tumbled to the ground.

This was getting fucking annoying! Snarling she launched herself up, immediately throwing her entire body into Revan. Her shoulder slammed into her gut, which was like hitting a brick wall. Revan merely took a step back, both her hands grabbing Shepard by the waist, and the redhead was easily hoisted into the air and slammed into the ground.

Shepard rolled away and pushed herself up, finding Revan a few steps away and waiting for her. The redhead charged again, throwing a series of quick punches but the warrior always avoided them with a dodge or swift deflection.

Revan was constantly shuffling around as Shepard continued her furious attack. As she threw another savage punch towards the warrior’s head, she ducked under the attack, leg snapping out to once more take Shepard’s out, but she was ready this time.

A quick jump and the leg passed harmlessly underneath her. The grin that came her face was quickly lost as Revan’s other leg sped towards her, slamming into her stomach with the force of a Krogan.

She slammed into the ground harder than ever. Every bit of air was driven from her body by the kick and the force with which she hit the ground. Shepard groaned loudly, her whole body hurt like hell. This had seemed like a much better idea before. She lay on the ground, breathing heavily. She was covered in sweat and sore everywhere.

She finally opened her eyes and saw Revan standing over her. Thankfully she didn't have a cocky grin on her face, god knows Shepard would have. Her breathing was just slightly laboured and sweat beaded down her face—obviously she could keep going for a lot longer.

Revan offered her a rare ungloved hand. Shepard reached up and accepted it. As she looked down at their joined hands, she noted that underneath the wrappings covering Revan’s hands and wrist, she could just make out deep scars around the woman’s wrist. They wrapped around the woman’s entire wrist, Shepard knew how scars like those came about. They were from struggling against being bound.

Revan hauled her to her feet with obviously zero effort, breaking the redhead out of her thoughts. But she did note the warrior was quick to hide her hands behind her back, likely having noticed Shepard’s staring.

"Certainly put me in my place," she said, taking in a deep breath. "Dick," she added, letting out the breath and grinning again.

"I got more experience in hand to hand combat than you. I was trained in it since I was five after all.”

"Well I feel less shitty now," she said with a laugh. Once more though she had to repress a grin. That was another new piece of information she knew about her! "Would you mind sharing some of your knowledge? Apparently my combat skills aren't as good as I thought."

"Yer an impressive fighter in your own right." Revan’s tone was perfectly serious and Shepard knew she was trying to compliment her. "But I could teach ya, if that's what ya want."

"I'm sure it would be very useful and fun." She smiled warmly at the warrior, excited that her plan had actually worked; it had seemed so silly before.

Of course if this plan hadn't panned out she would have just tried something else. Shepard hated thinking about how alone Revan must feel. After all the shit she went through she deserved a friend and dammit Shepard was going to be one for her! Even if the warrior was going to fight her on it. She was certain…well she hoped Revan wasn't keeping her distance because she didn't like Shepard, but rather because she just didn't know what else to do.

As Shepard stared at the woman, her eyes couldn’t help but track a drop of sweat as it ran down Revan’s neck, disappearing between her breasts. Oh yes, she really wouldn’t mind getting close to this woman. Shepard had to resist the urge to lick her lips. And Revan.

Not that Shepard’s motivations were purely fueled by her sudden new found desire for Revan. Well, maybe not totally newfound. She had always found the woman attractive. She’d just not realized what a rockin’ body the warrior had. That always made things far more enjoyable.

She genuinely wanted to get to know Revan better. She felt for the woman. Those words Revan had first spoken to her. _‘I can’t remember the last time somebody had my best interests in mind.’_ The words stuck with Shepard. She didn’t want Revan to feel that way anymore. She wanted the warrior to know that there were people who cared about her.

"It’ll be hard work," Revan said seriously. "Mandalorians don't take fightin’ lightly."

"Neither do I," Shepard replied, throwing a wink. "Doesn't mean it can't be fun too."

"’Course it’ll be fun,” Revan replied, a rare grin lighting up her face. “Nothin’ better than a good fight.”

“Can’t say I disagree,” Shepard easily grinned back. She looked into those silver eyes, finding them holding her gaze. She had never seen Revan this relaxed before.

Those eyes looked away, settling on the floor. Revan took two steps forward before bending over. She picked something up and turned back to Shepard, holding it out. It was one of her headphones.

“Oh shit,” Shepard muttered. She had totally forgotten about those. Her music wasn’t even playing anymore. She was surprised only one had gotten knocked out in the fight. “Thanks.” She took the item back. “I listen to music when I work out.”

"What…what do ya listen to?” Revan asked, sounding a little uncertain. Almost as if she didn’t know how to make light conversation.

“Lot’s of stuff! Mostly old music, bands way back from the twentieth and twenty first century. When I work out it’s usually music that gets me hyped. My workout music is a lot of Slipknot and Marilyn Manson.”

Shepard knew her music taste was unique these days. But frankly the old music was just better. People actually had talent back then. Now it was all just random fucking noises in stupid beats that got stuck in your head. Very little talent behind it.

“And you obviously don’t know who they are,” Shepard said with a chuckle, taking in Revan’s confused expression. “Here.” She held out the headphone to Revan. “Put that in.”

The warrior did as she was told and Shepard picked one of her favourite songs. She carefully watched Revan’s expression, probably far too eager and hopeful that the warrior would like her music.

Revan’s face was impassive as she listened, but the redhead noted her finger tapping on her leg to the beat. It made Shepard grin, a grin which became almost painfully big when the song ended and Revan smiled ever so faintly.

“I like it. It was…interesting. But I like it.”

“That’s awesome!” Shepard replied, unable to hold in her excitement. “I knew you would have good taste! If you want I’ll send you a bunch of music that I like, maybe see if you like it too?” She knew she probably sounded like a little kid right now, but she didn’t care.

“Ya seem excited,” Revan added, chuckling softly.

"Shut up, its not something that happens very often. Also if you end up liking it then the others should be too scared to make fun of it." Shepard laughed at the last part; Garrus would be the only one with the nuts to do it anymore.

“We’ll see. Send me yer list.”

“I’ll do it right away!” Shepard still couldn’t keep the excitement from her voice. “I should also go clean up. I reek. Also need to recover from that thrashing you gave me. Same time tomorrow morning?"

"If you’d like."

"You bet! You’ll need to kick my ass more than once before you scare me off." She gave another smile before heading towards the elevator. "By the way, meeting with Hackett tomorrow at sixteen-hundred!" she called back to Revan, who nodded in response.

Shepard couldn’t stop her smile as she rode up to her cabin. That had gone far better than she anticipated. Not only did she now have a reason to keep hanging out with Revan, but the woman had actually seemed to loosen up around her!

Shepard had noticed the warrior always seemed to relax when they were fighting. Like she…mellowed out. She got far less formal in her speech, and her accent became more pronounced. It seemed like she truly was enjoying herself in those moments. Shepard was happy she got to see that and hopefully, would get to see more of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shepard's musical tastes may or may not be based on my own....


	16. Magnetic

"The capacitor will give an energy spike to the beam increasing its output," Revan explained to the others as she put the finishing touches on the device. Mordin, Garrus, Tali, and Miranda were standing in front of the table, watching her work. "The turbo laser will have scaled up banks of these ta increase the power even further. By the end it equates ta roughly four times the power of what we are building."

"What kind of damage will this do?" asked Garrus

"On ships they’re used for accurately destroying asteroids and other moving debris, so that should give you some idea. As you may have guessed they can also be made fer ground weapons as well. Battle tanks or turrets are a very common usage."

"What methods exist to compensate for heat production?" asked Mordin. His eyes were intently focused on the device before him.

"A cryosystem is built into the weapon itself to help compensate, and the barrel also contains a cooling sleeve. The danger of overheating is always present, but unless they’re operated fer long periods of time on maximum setting it shouldn’t be a problem."

"Technology level is amazing. Would be interested to learn about other technologies, besides warfare."

"Come down here sometime in the evenin’ and I’ll be happy ta show ya whatever I can." She had been wondering if anyone would be interested in something besides weapon technologies. Revan was positive that there were a great many innovations her galaxy could provide to this one apart from weapons.

She knew that weapons were a primary concern to combat the Reapers, but she also knew that a great deal of rebuilding would be taking place after the war. Entire worlds were sure to be devastated in the coming conflict. Rebuilding would be a long and arduous task and it would be good to plan for that as well.

"Excellent, will adjust work schedule accordingly."

Revan nodded as she finished the capacitor and slid it across the table towards the others. "That can be installed now. The blueprints will show ya where it goes." She knew by now that the group in front of her were highly competent, therefore she did not need to hold their hand through the construction.

Mordin quickly scooped up the item and walked over to the frame of the cannon, examining the capacitor closely as he walked.

"Garrus, Miranda, I’m sendin’ you the schematics for the cooling sleeve." She quickly put the command through on her omni-tool. "You can get to work on that next. Tali and I will begin making the actuating module."

The pair moved off to a separate workstation while the Quarian stayed put. Revan had yet to actually see her expertise in action so she would need to work with the Quarian for now. The commander and many others assured her the alien was very gifted, but she still needed to see for herself.

"This is one of the most critical components," Revan explained, pulling up the blueprints. She projected them for the helmeted woman to see. "Once the gas has been energized it’ll pass through this chamber to be electromagnetically accelerated and transformed into the beam that will form the actual bolt."

"Your knowledge of technology is amazing. Shepard told me that you were a general, but you sound more like a scientist."

"I always enjoyed working with technology, findin’ out exactly how everything worked. It can also give ya unexpected advantages in battle if ya know how both your equipment and the enemy’s works."

Tali was not the first person to be surprised by her intelligence. In the beginning it had started out as a simple hobby, but the more battles she had fought in, the more she was able to use it to her advantage. Knowing precise details of the enemy’s weapons meant you could exploit any potential weaknesses. It also meant that she could copy and even improve any technologies they faced in war.

"So is our galaxy very different from yours?" asked Tali as they began gathering the required components.

"There are many similarities. The general order of things seems to be much the same— governments, military and general societal rules and the like. I’ve even noted similarities between some species of this galaxy. Yer Asari for example seem to be a more evolved and more powerful version of a species called Twileks. Physically they’re quite different but similar in other ways. Their spread throughout the galaxy, the fact that many other species seem to find them attractive—also both seem to make up the majority of the stripper population."

Tali actually giggled at the last remark. "I have never understood why there are so many Asari strippers."

"One of the great mysteries of the galaxy." Revan had never understood it either. Especially with the Asari. They were one of the major powers in the galaxy. All of their people possessed biotic powers and yet being a stripper seemed to be a major occupation for them.

"Are there any species like the Quarians?"

Revan thought about it as she began assembling one of the components. She was certain that there must be other similar species. Physiologically she did not know, as she only knew a few of their primary physical characteristics and had knowledge of their weakened immune system. She wasn't too familiar with them culturally either, other than their supposed technological prowess.

"I must admit that I don’t know that much about your people so it would be hard for me to give ya a good answer."

Tali simply nodded as she continued working, and it was a few moments before she spoke again. "Have you ever had a problem like the Geth?"

Revan had been wondering when they would get around to talking about the Geth. The warrior knew that her honest opinion of the Quarian’s people's conflict with the Geth probably wouldn't go over too well.

All the history and information she could find both about the Geth and the conflict with the Quarians was written by the Quarians or other species besides the Geth. Therefore it was all very one-sided.

Revan suspected that there was far more to the conflict than a simple rebellion of AIs. They had been built and programmed to serve the Quarians, but they had been foolish in their construction. By allowing the machines to network and compile knowledge and skills it was inevitable that said knowledge and skills would expand until they became something far more than simple machines.

At their core however they were still machines, and they thought with logic. Therefore what reason could they possibly have to start a war with the Quarians unless it was out of self-preservation? By all accounts the Quarians had lost the war, badly. If it had been a true war then why wouldn't the Geth have continued to final victory? Completely destroying or enslaving the Quarians?

They had stopped and even now outbreaks of fighting between the two groups was rare, certainly nothing more than skirmishes. Something else must have started the war; it couldn't have just been a spontaneous decision by the Geth.

Still, Revan wasn't about to go around blaming the Quarians for the war. That would be foolish if she hoped to build some kind of rapport with Tali. But, she could try to make her a bit more understanding of droids and other AI.

"Droids are very commonplace in my galaxy. It would be impossible to count the number of them in use. Entire armies have been made of droids, and we use them in our everyday lives, like you do with VIs."

"But don't you worry about them turning on you? Entire armies of machines constructed purely for destruction seems very dangerous."

"Oh there have been droid rebellions. Usually they’re still led and programmed by an organic. However, there have been advanced droid units that began to think independently. But on the large scale their programming is specifically limited to prevent them evolving and presenting a large threat to organics."

She watched Tali carefully as she spoke, still continuing her work. "The simple fact is we rely on them too heavily to ever let a few bad scenarios influence us against their usage. Precautions are always taken, restraining bolts being the most common."

"I see…you know it's because of the Geth that AIs are banned in council space? Everyone saw what happened to my people and became terrified that it would happen again."

"Yes, I had read that. However. I think that AIs are incredibly beneficial to organics and should not be something to be feared." Revan watched her eyes narrow before continuing. "However, that doesn’t mean we should simply ignore the dangers. Take EDI for example. She is incredibly useful, and yes I do refer to her as a she."

Revan knew that she was entering into dangerous territory with this conversation, butshe was still confident that her argument was strong enough. It was clear there was a lot of prejudice towards the Geth and AIs in general. It was a very narrow-minded view however. Rather than learning from past mistakes the people of this galaxy had closed that door forever.

"She may be artificial but EDI still has all the intelligence and constructs that a human mind would. While they may not experience emotions in exactly the same way, they still know what they are; understand what they are AI' still have an identity that they will cling to. EDI will always be EDI; nothing short of a complete rewriting of her programming will change that. Back to my original point however."

Revan grabbed another component and began carefully welding it. "EDI is incredibly useful, that cannot be denied. While what happened between your people and the Geth was indeed a tragedy, don't you think it would be better to learn from what happened rather than completely writing off such an incredible advancement because of a single event?"

"The Geth nearly destroyed my people!" Tali quickly shot back. "They attacked the Citadel and almost took it over."

"I'm not trying to marginalize what happened to your people," Revan quickly replied. "What happened was indeed terrible. However if I may again point out EDI. Cerberus learned from the Geth and now there are protocols in place that prevent her from acting on her own designs. She is shackled and she can never remove those shackles. She is controlled from ever harming her creators. The only way science, technology, even society can advance is if we learn from the past and improve or fix what doesn’t work.”

Revan knew that she may have gone a bit too far, but she had hopes this woman was intelligent enough to see the point and get past her prejudice.

"I’m not trying to upset you Tali. This is simply my opinion. I would help your people reclaim what they have lost if I could." Her omni-tool began beeping and she glanced at the clock on it. "I have to meet the commander; you have the schematics so I’m sure you can finish this on your own."

Tali simply nodded and continued the work. Revan grabbed her helmet from the table and moved towards the elevator. Hopefully she hadn't soured the Quarian's attitude towards her. Still, Tali would be a good gauge for the rest of her people. If she could not get past her hatred of the Geth and AIs then it was something Revan would need to deal with.

When the time came the galaxy would need to stand together, and the Geth may or may not stand among them. Even if they didn't her army was still comprised of machines. If the Quarians refused to work with her then she would leave them to their fate. She just didn't have the time to waste on a people who couldn't set aside their narrow-minded beliefs even to save themselves.

Revan rode the elevator up to the commander's cabin. She had gotten Garrus to sweep it for bugs a long time ago so she felt it was the only secure place to have this meeting. Revan was glad she wasn't putting too much faith in Cerberus. It was clear she wasn't planning on any cooperation with the organization beyond this mission.

Revan stepped off the elevator and knocked twice on the door, and the commander called for her to enter. The room was much how she remembered it, the blue light from an empty fish tank, an empty model case forming a wall between the desk and the rest of the cabin. As she turned towards the office area she noted that there were several data pads scattered across the bed.

The glass on the model case was projecting the image of a man in perhaps his late fifties, a scar across his face and carefully trimmed facial hair. Beside him was woman with jet black hair tied up into a neat bun. They were both speaking to the commander who stood before them, turning at his approach.

She smiled warmly at the warrior as she moved beside her. "Admiral, this is Revan." She gestured at her then the two figures on the screen. "This is Admiral Hackett and Doctor Karsen."

Revan nodded politely to them before reaching into a pouch at her waist and pulling free a small device which she placed on the desk, activating it with a single key, and it began humming quietly. The commander gave her a curious look. "A little extra security. I do not doubt Garrus's skills, but better to be safe."

"Shepard has been telling us a lot about you. The upgrades she has been sending us are incredible. Our entire R and D department have been itching to find out where they are coming from," spoke the admiral.

"The heatsink improvement was especially intriguing," said the doctor. "It was genius but also surprisingly simple. I'm almost embarrassed we didn't come up with it ourselves." She had a faint accent. It sounded Talravin.

"I am happy to be of help. As the commander has likely informed you, the technology from my galaxy is more advanced than yours."

"Yes, she gave us a detailed report on your…arrival here along with other bits of information that you have shared. She also informs us you are currently building some kind of laser weapon?"

"That is correct. Laser based weaponry is the main stream in my galaxy; it will likely be completed in the next few days. If all goes well."

"Is there any chance you could send us those schematics? I shouldn't have to point out that a working laser weapon would give us a massive boost towards fighting the Reapers." This time it was Hackett who spoke.

Revan had been waiting for this. She was sure this was the main reason the admiral and doctor had even insisted upon meeting with her. The Alliance would want laser weaponry and through them it would likely spread to the other council races. Perhaps that would not be such a bad thing but she knew it would also spread to organizations who would not use it to fight just the Reapers, such as Cerberus.

She wasn't worried about the organization getting the blueprints to the laser cannon she was building with the others. She had left out a dozen key components in the blueprints she was giving the others. Without them the weapon was completely useless. She would complete it in secret for the testing and then remove the components again to ensure it couldn't be scanned.

Now that she had made an enemy of Cerberus she needed to do everything she could to ensure they didn't get their hands on such powerful weapons. It was obvious that they would have informants in the Alliance. Therefore if she gave the Alliance these weapons it was almost certain they would find their way into the Illusive Man's hands. So what did she do?

Revan glanced over at the commander. It was clear she trusted the admiral completely, if she didn't then she never would have set this meeting up. She may not fully grasp that everything she was sending just to the Alliance was finding its way to Cerberus, but she knew Hackett was an ally to be trusted.

"I will be blunt Admiral. I do not think that is a good idea." Revan watched as all three people gave her confused looks. "Can you guarantee that this kind of technology would not find its way into the hands of an organization like Cerberus? Or other groups who could not be trusted with it?"

"This technology would be developed under the utmost secrecy," said the doctor confidently.

"This technology will completely change the balance of power in this galaxy. Whomever possesses it has a critical advantage over every other race. You know there are Cerberus informants in the Alliance; an organization who could completely rebuild the Normandy and improve it clearly has access to even the most classified information."

Revan's eyes stayed focused on the admiral as she spoke. The doctor just wanted to get her hands on new technology. She sincerely hoped the Commander's judge of character held up. "I think it's safe for us to presume that Cerberus cares only for its own agenda. As do many others out there. The damage these weapons could do in the wrong hands would be catastrophic."

"What about the weapon you are already building? Couldn't Cerberus scan that? Shepard told me members of the Cerberus crew are even helping in the construction."

"I have given them all incomplete blueprints. Only I know the missing components, how they work, where they go, and how they are made. Yes Cerberus may be able to figure it out eventually. But considering this galaxy has not even come close to perfecting laser based weaponry, I think it's doubtful. I am building the weapon as a test to see if I can make my weapons here with your materials. When the Reapers finally do come I will give you detailed information on how to make these weapons quickly and efficiently."

"By then it could be too late,"

"Perhaps, but I will not leave you with nothing. I can give you the blueprints to an ion cannon. Non-destructive, it will prove deadly against the Reapers and if that does manage to fall into the wrong hands then the damage will be far less than a true laser weapon."

"I won't turn down anything you are willing to give us. I'll admit I wish we could get the laser technology but what you say makes sense. Cerberus has gotten access to top secret information more times than I'd like to admit. I promise we will do our best to keep this out of their hands though."

"I know you will Admiral. Once this meeting is done I will transmit the data to whatever secure address you provide. I will also tell you now that this technology is highly adaptable. You can build space platforms, ground cannons, mount them on ships. Scale the components properly and you can make them suit any needs. It will make for a very potent weapon against the Reapers."

"You understand I may have to share this with the other council races."

"I understand. I trust you will stress to them the importance of secrecy with this."

Revan had actually been thinking about reaching out to the other major factions and supplying them with this technology anyways. She knew Mordin had connections with Salarian special forces. Garrus could probably get the information to the proper people as well. The Asari…well she would have gone directly to the councillor with this. After all she seemed to be the only one on the council who wasn't a total fool. Still perhaps there were better channels she could pursue, but she would look into that later.

"You have my word," the admiral's voice was perfectly level and his tone was confident. Perhaps the commander’s trust was well placed. Time would tell. "Now I have another meeting to get to. Thank you for your time."

"Of course Admiral. Should you or your people have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

The admiral nodded again and the transmission ended. The glass once more became transparent, showing the cabin behind it. She could see the commander's armor stacked on the coffee table along with a disassembled weapon.

"Thanks for doing that," said the commander. Her tone was completely genuine, as was her smile. "What you said about Cerberus makes sense. If they could get their hands on all the info to rebuild the Normandy then they could probably get those schematics. I wouldn't want Timmy getting his hands on those."

"I wish I could’ve given him more, but I didn't want to risk it."

"I understand. You still gave us an ion cannon. Those things are pretty badass." Her smile became a grin now. "Doesn't make a big boom, but still awesome."

"I'll let you be the first to fire the laser cannon. Would that appease you?"

Her grin became even bigger now. Revan felt a smile tug at her lips, and this time, she didn’t fight it down.

"Hell yes! Garrus is going to be so jealous! Unless of course you screwed up and it explodes, killing me in a giant fireball."

"It would still make a boom." Revan replied, still feeling the half smile on her lips.

"It better be an awesome boom!" exclaimed the commander, through her laughter. "I can go out in nothing less!"

The commander’s smile and laughter was just too damn infectious. Revan couldn't deny that she was…pleasant to be around. She seemed to find the bright side in everything. She had lost all three of their sparring matches so far and yet every time she still had a smile on her face.

She was also a quick learner. Almost everything the warrior taught her she picked up the first time. She was already showing improvement in all aspects of her fighting. Revan had to admit that she was enjoying their morning sessions. It had been some time since had been able to train with anyone. While she was hesitant at first she was starting to get more comfortable with the training. With the commander.

Strangely enough, this no longer terrified her. Revan could not pinpoint the exact reason for the change. Perhaps she realized it was pointless to keep the woman away any longer, seeing as they were now spending far more time together.

Shepard had a magnetic personality. It was difficult to spend any amount of time in her presence and not begin to like her. She could make anyone feel welcomed, feel like a friend. It truly was an incredible thing to behold. It was ironic that despite how much the woman said she hated diplomats, she would make an excellent one herself.

Perhaps another reason for Revan’s shifting attitude was simply that she was tired. She could not deny the effort it had taken to keep the redhead from getting close. Perhaps the warrior had subconsciously realized it was a battle she would end up losing, therefore it was pointless to fight.

Revan could not deny that she enjoyed her time with the commander. She had come to look forward to their morning training. Part of it was because the redhead was an exceptional student. But also…they had fun. Revan could not even recall the last time she had fun with another person.

Sure, she enjoyed the rush of battle like nothing else. Fighting was the one thing that had always brought her joy. But it was a solitary joy. The rest of the galaxy faded away when she fought, all other problems, concerns, everything, it all disappeared. There was only her, her blades, her beating heart, and a faceless enemy to cut down.

But, with the commander, with Shepard, she was no longer alone in that enjoyment. Every strike, every adrenaline-fueled moment, she could see the joy written on the redhead’s face. Her emerald eyes shone with pure happiness It was wonderful to behold, and it only drove Revan’s enjoyment higher. What’s more, she knew Shepard felt the same way.

They both thrived off the challenge, off the joy of fighting, the prospect of becoming stronger, faster and better. They thrived off finding a kindred spirit, one who felt the same. It was incredible, almost intoxicating.

Revan hadn’t analyzed this shift. Part of her feared to. She feared the implications. But that fear could not stop her from continuing down this path. For the first time in her life she was walking forward without thinking ahead. It was frightening…but also liberating.

“So I assume you wanna get back to your nerd session?” Shepard asked. Her tone was friendly, but also…hesitant?

Revan took a moment to answer. If she said no, would Shepard offer to spend time together? If she did…should Revan accept? So far they had only spent time together in the mornings, sparring and spending time chatting after. What would happen if they began spending additional time together? She couldn’t deny the urge she felt to follow that tug on her mind to say yes.

_No plans. Follow the tug, see where it leads._

“They’re smart,” Revan replied with a shrug, and she was almost surprised at how relaxed she felt now that she’d decided. “I’m sure they can get along fine without me.”

“Yeah?” A smile stretched across Shepard’s lips. “Well I got a whole list of music for ya. Wanna listen to it?”

Revan barely even noticed herself smiling in return. “I would.”

* * *

 

The only sound in the room was the clanging of metal and the occasional grunt. Anya leaned back to avoid the oncoming sword, and her opponent let their attack spin them full circle to face her again. Anya brought her sword down in a quick slash across her opponent's chest. Her blade was deflected but she quickly snapped her leg out, kicking out her opponent's feet. They fell to the floor but quickly rolled away to avoid her finishing strike.

They were both clad identically, wearing the black and white armor of a Cerberus Phantom, their faces hidden by the red eyed helmets. Her opponent leapt back to their feet, narrowly dodging her thrust towards their chest. Anya blocked their responding slash, using her superior strength to throw them back in the ensuing struggle of blade against blade, throwing them off balance. She quickly followed this up with a sharp kick to the ribs, and her hand shot out to grab her opponent's sword arm, twisting it back and out of the way as she lowered her blade to rest on their neck.

"You need to watch your footing better," she said, voice being distorted through her helmet's speakers. She moved her blade from the other woman's neck and released her arm.

"I'm sorry," replied her opponent, her disappointment clear even through the distortion.

"Don't waste your breath apologizing. Improve yourself."

"I’m trying."

"Our lives depend on you just as yours depends on us. Let that fuel your desire to be better." She stepped back from the woman and settled into a ready stance. "Again."

As her opponent settled into her own stance Anya's com came to life. "Lieutenant, The Illusive Man wishes to speak with you immediately."

Anya righted herself, looking across the room to where the rest of her squad was practicing with their new gauntlet devices. "Sarah, take over for me." One of the women, not wearing a helmet—she had short cropped blond hair and bright blue eyes—ran over towards them.

Anya left the room, sheathing her blade. She navigated the hallways of the base quickly. Few of the people she passed nodded to her or even acknowledged her. The most common reaction she got was fear. Most Phantoms did. She entered into the com room, nodding to the officer on duty as she stepped into the circle on the floor. The machine began scanning her as she removed her helmet, revealing her copper hair and hazel eyes.

It took a moment for the machine to finish, and when it did she found herself staring out across a room that held only a chair in which a man sat. The bright orange star in the background lit up the room in a beautiful glow.

"Lieutenant Petrovisky, a pleasure to see you again," said The Illusive Man. His voice was perfectly flat.

"Sir," she said, giving a crisp salute.

"You may relax Lieutenant. How is your newest squad member working out?"

She was surprised that he even knew about that. Anya assumed he must get massive amounts of reports every day. How could he possibly remember what must be such a minor detail?

"She is doing well sir. Given a few more weeks of regular training she will be just as deadly as the others."

"Excellent. I have a new mission for you and your squad. You are to capture or eliminate this woman." The Illusive Man tapped on the arm of his chair for a second before a full-sized image of an armoured person came up in front of him, their gender was impossible to tell with all the armour.

They were just over six feet tall, and she looked large and well-built although that was hard to tell due to the bulky armor that covered her entire body. Her face was hidden by a T-visored helmet.

"Her name is Revan. She possesses advanced technology that she refuses to share with us despite our cooperation towards her. Your primary orders are to capture her, but if that is not possible then you will not hesitate to terminate her."

"Of course sir."

"She will remain unavailable to target for some time. You will use that time to prepare your squad for this mission. The com officer will give you the data packet of all the information we have on her. Everything you read in it is true. This woman is extremely dangerous and you will have to use extreme caution. I will inform you when you can move on her."

"Sir!" She saluted again before the transmission ended. She turned to the com officer who was typing away on his console.

"You should be receiving the packet now."

She quickly checked her omni-tool, nodding in confirmation before leaving the room. She activated her com as she walked towards her quarters. "We have a new mission. Take the remainder of the day to rest. Tomorrow we will begin our new training regiment and I will fill you in on the details.

Anya knew she wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. If The Illusive Man was warning her this target was dangerous then she would have to plan everything carefully. She walked into her perfectly neat quarters, averaged sized for personnel. She got no favoritism because of who her father was. Both he and her made sure of it.

She seated herself at her desk and quickly transferred the information to her terminal before going through it. As she read reports and watched helmet footage an unfamiliar feeling began to descend on her. She began to worry about failure.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The characters at the end are my own OC's. They will be making more appearances.


	17. A Good Friend

Shepard grunted loudly as she slammed into the deck, and what little breath she had left rushed from her lungs at the impact. Her vision went spotty for a second before it cleared and she saw the fully armored form of Revan standing over her, hand held out for her to take.

Revan had insisted that every other day they train in full armor, stating that she should be able to perform the exact same techniques no matter what she was wearing. It made perfect sense really, and thinking back on it now she felt kind of stupid for never training in full armor before. But of course that meant she was denied the view of an unarmoured Revan. The sacrifices she made.

Shepard sucked in a deep breath. Looking up at the woman she couldn't help but grin. She really didn't mind losing to the warrior. She wasn't a gloater, and she never apologized for beating Shepard so badly or even hurting her. The redhead really did like these morning sessions. She found them fun, and she actually found herself enjoying Revan's company.

Shepard grabbed the offered hand and she was easily pulled to her feet.

"An excellent match," said Revan, the faintest of grins on her face. “Yer gettin better.” Revan’s accent was once more coming through much stronger than usual. Shepard wouldn’t bother denying it—the woman’s voice was fucking sexy.

"Thanks!" She beamed at the compliment. She really didn't think that she had made that much progress but Revan wouldn't lie to her. "Still have yet to land more than three hits on you though."

Shepard wiped at the sweat running down her brow. Her face was dripping sweat and a few annoying strands of hair and come loose and clung to her face. "I’ve been meaning to ask. How is it you always seem to predict my movements? I mean I know you’re good but I swear I’ve seen you preparing for things that haven't even happened yet."

"It's precognitive abilities. It's a universal power to those with force sensitivity. We can sense danger before it strikes."

"You can just feel danger before it strikes?" Shepard blurted out. That should have sounded impossible but with Revan's strange powers she supposed it wasn't so crazy. "What's that like?"

"In its most common form it's just a…feeling.” Revan seemed to ponder for a moment. She raised a hand and wriggled her fingers at the back of her skull. “Like a faint tingling at the back of yer mind. It doesn't tell ya exactly where or what the danger is. Ya just gotta trust yer instincts and react to the warnin’."

Revan walked to a nearby crate where she grabbed one of the two fresh towels and handed it to her before leaning against the crate. Shepard had learned this was a habit of the warrior’s when she was about to go into a long explanation or discussion. Shepard jumped up and seated herself beside the larger woman. She wiped her face as Revan continued speaking.

"The more advanced form is usually called battle precognition. It allows the user ta see the flow of battle and predict their opponent's movements. The degree of accuracy is dependent on the user's skill. I’m pretty advanced in that."

"So, if that's the case how could I ever even hit you? How could anyone?"

"'s not accurate all the time.” Revan shook her head gently before reaching up to pull her hair free of its braids. “The future is constantly in motion, even just a few seconds ahead. An opponent could adjust their attack at the last second if they had the skill. They could launch another attack that’s too fast fer my senses ta pick up and still give me time to react. My duel with Mandalore was the hardest fight of my life. Despite my abilities it was a battle that was incredibly hard won."

Revan’s hair tumbled down in its wild black waves. Shepard’s eyes immediately looked to the tips, which changed from black to a deep red, making the tips look like they were on fire when they caught the light. It was a rather stunning effect, and a beautiful one.

"Damn," Shepard muttered, both referencing the fight and just the woman before her. "He must’ve been one tough bastard to give you trouble," she added quickly, wiping her face with her towel again to hide her flushing cheeks.

"He was Mandalore,” Revan answered with a shrug.  “He had ta be strong, capable. Weak Mandalores don’t last long."

Shepard nodded at her words. She supposed that if someone was to lead a warrior people like the Mandalorians they would have to be tough as hell. The more she learned about Revan's people the more she liked them. Frankly the culture sounded fascinating. Parts of them seemed so contradictory that it was almost funny.

They prided themselves on being highly skilled warriors, willing to fight any foe. Yet at the same time they valued family above all else. Those two things just didn't seem to mesh very well. But at the same time it just seemed so…right. She really didn't know how to describe it, but she found herself really liking the Mandalorians.

"Wait," Shepard said suddenly as a thought dawned on her. "If you killed Mandalore, does that make you the new one?" It seemed logical that whoever killed the leader of a warrior people in a duel would become their next leader.

"It's not as simple as that.” Revan shook her head again, hair swishing with the movement. “Mandalore has ta be strong, has ta have the vision and strength to lead their people. The people have’ta agree that the claimant has these things, they gotta agree on the claimant's authority. If they don’t then it’s their duty ta remove ‘em and find one who is suitable."

"Yeeaahh,” Shepard drawled, “you seem to fit the bill perfectly. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job than you."

She had both seen and heard how passionate Revan got when she talked about her people. It was one of the few times when she let emotion show. Shepard could tell how much it pained the warrior when she spoke of the wars and the terrible things her people had done. She remembered her saying how disgusted she had been at seeing how far they had fallen.

Shepard didn't have a doubt in her mind that Revan had everything that was needed in order to help her people. True it may have been difficult for them to accept considering she had just beaten them in a war. Still that seemed like something the Mandalorians would respect.

Revan simply shrugged before answering "I suppose I couldda taken power. The clans respected me, I had Mandalore's mask. Canderous told me I should on a few occasions."

"Why didn't you?"

"I…had other concerns. The Mandalorians didn't need me then. They needed to see just how far they’d fallen; they needed ta see just how unworthy they had become.” Revan’s eyes became downcast, a sigh escaping her.

 “So, I kept Mandalore's mask, I took their ships and their weapons. I took from them everything they had begun ta associate with what being a Mandalorian was. I did it so they could return to their roots, to the people they should be."

Shepard drank in the words, thinking carefully about them. She was shocked at first, that Revan would tear her people down like that. However, the more she thought about it the more it made sense. It was a cold and logical decision but she supposed she could understand it.

By taking away everything that had allowed them to commit such terrible atrocities it would force them to fall back on the basis of what united them as a people. Their culture, and their values. Something like that would probably have brought a lot of people together.

However she couldn't help but seeing all the ways it could go wrong. It could just foster a hatred for Revan and those who defeated them, who took so much away. It could have scattered them too much, it could have broken them beyond repair. She even denied them the ability to choose a new leader on their own. That last part Shepard couldn't wrap her head around.

"But you left them without the ability to choose a leader. They could have chosen someone to bring them back to their proper ways. They could have chosen someone like you."

"I didn't take that ability from ‘em.” Revan almost growled as she spoke, her eyes narrowing at Shepard, but she could tell the anger wasn’t directed at her.

 “They could still choose a leader. The mask is supposed ta be ceremonial. Nothin’ more. Yeah it’s in our traditions for Mandalore to wear the mask, but not a necessity. I watched after the war and no one even attempted ta unite the clans, ta make things better. I took the mask so many of them gave up; they felt the mask symbolized the Mandalorian people. They still didn't learn." Revan let out another sigh, her anger falling away as she once more looked at the ground.

That still seemed a little cold to Shepard. If it was so heavily entrenched in their traditions then taking it away would understandably break a lot of their spirits. Although…Revan had said that she watched the Mandalorians, looking for a leader to rise up but none did. Perhaps she was simply waiting for someone with the vision to try and lead the people even without the mask, then she would give it back. Yes, that seemed like something she would do.

"Hopefully Canderous stopped bein’ such a stubborn ass and followed my instructions ta retrieve the mask."

"You wanted him to be Mandalore?" She couldn't quite keep the surprise from her voice. She had mentioned her Mandalorian friend on a few occasions, but she had no idea Revan thought so highly of the man.

"I asked him on several occasions. But he was too stubborn. He didn't want anything ta do with the Mandalorians after the war. Hopefully my disappearance made him realize it was necessary."

"I still don't get why you just didn't take the job yourselfl" Shepard muttered. Revan was being pretty vague on the subject. That wasn't exactly unusual, but still it seemed rather odd she would turn her back on something clearly so important to her.

Revan just shrugged again. "As I said, I had other concerns at the time.”

Shepard really wanted to push for more information but Revan’s tone quickly shut her up. It was obvious it was something she wasn't ready to talk about. Shepard once more had to remind herself that it wasn't her business to pry anyways.

"Fair enough," she said with a shrug.

She was happy enough with how much Revan was already opening up to her, so she wasn't going to push anything. With every passing day, the warrior seemed to be a little bit more at ease around her.

Revan spoke easier around her now, her voice not nearly as stiff and formal. The warrior had even begun to smile and laugh during their times together. And Revan had a wonderful smile. They were never big, beaming smiles, usually just a slight upturn at the corner of her mouth. Always the left side first. Once or twice she had even smirked. That had been…fuuuck that had been good.

Physically Revan also seemed more relaxed around her as well. The woman was always ready to spring into action, that hadn’t changed. But Shepard had noticed the warrior seemed more comfortable with Shepard physically being closer. Even outside of their sparring. Before Shepard had noted that Revan always kept at least an arm length between them. Even in this moment, they were sitting side by side, Shepard’s leg brushing the warriors arm ever so lightly.

But Shepard wasn’t just surprised at the change within Revan. She was surprised at herself. She woke up every morning practically giddy with excitement. She always rushed to get ready, her body practically shaking with anticipation as she rode the elevator down to the cargo bay.

Her time with Revan had become the highlight of her days. She looked forward to their talks after each sparring session. And she couldn’t even describe how excited she was for their actual matches.

Everything else faded away when they fought. It was just the two of them, unrestrained. She could practically see the weight lifting from Revan’s shoulders when they fought. Those silver eyes shone with excitement, eagerness, and pure focus. Like she saw only Shepard, lived only in that moment. It was exactly how Shepard felt. She felt so alive when they fought.

Their mornings down here, it was like their own little world. It was just the two of them, free to be themselves. To revel in the thing she knew they both enjoyed the most. To share that with eachother…it was utterly wonderful and liberating.

Shepard didn’t even bother getting her thoughts started on the changes she experienced outside those mornings either. The number of times she had thought of Revan during the day was becoming ridiculous.

The oddest part was the range of situations she thought of Revan in. Sometimes she would recall a moment during their spars and chuckle or smile. Other times she would recall some dry or sarcastic remark Revan said and she would grin.

And other times she would think of Revan outside of her armour, covered in sweat. Those always got to Shepard. She obviously wasn’t a stranger to physical attraction, and she wasn’t blind, so clearly, she recognized how damn sexy Revan was. But the previous thoughts, combined with the rather erotic ones, that was new for her.

People always fell into three categories for Shepard. People she wanted to kill, people she wanted to fuck, people she, and people she wanted to be friends with. Only twice in her life had there ever been any cross over. Someone who fit into more than one category.

One was a guy back in basic. They were always in competition, always trying to outdo the other. She had hated his guts. But he was also hot, and after a night out celebrating their graduation…well that was when she learned angry sex could be pretty great. Even in bed they had still tried to outdo each other.

But that was a one off, and Shepard to this day still blamed the massive amount of alcohol that she had drank. Plus, she didn’t think about him constantly. The crossover had just happened in the moment.

The only other time had been when she was much younger. And that…well she didn’t like to think about that time anymore. The pain it brought was too much.

That Revan was beginning to cross over into both the friend and fuck category was slightly worrisome. For several reasons. Firstly, because Shepard wasn’t sure on the warrior’s sexuality. Also, because she didn’t know if Revan had even the mildest attraction towards her. The woman could be frustratingly difficult to read.

Shepard would also never risk a friendship just for the sake of getting laid. Those kinds of things always had to be approached carefully, and they always had the potential to blow up in your face. She wouldn’t risk what was developing between her and Revan. She couldn’t. It meant too much to her.

A beeping noise began emanating from the rear of the room, somewhere near Revan's quarters, tearing the redhead from her thoughts.

Revan glanced towards the noise then back at her. "Well would ya like ta meet my best friend?" The smile once again started on the left corner of her mouth, but spread to the other side in a rare, full, genuine smile from the warrior.

Shepard couldn't help but smile in response. "He’s ready?"

"He just needs ta be activated." Revan pushed herself off the crate and gestured for the redhead to follow.

Shepard gave her face a final wipe before tossing the towel aside and following the warrior. They walked into Revan’s room. Shepard’s eyes immediately settled on the robot. At least what she assumed was the robot. In the corner of the room stood, what looked like, a person, just over six feet tall and clad in what looked like suit of Terminus assault armor that had been painted a rusty orange.

She watched as Revan stood directly in front of the suit of armor. "Activation code, one-one-zero-seven-nine."

Almost immediately the helmet’s visor lit up to glow a dark red and stared straight at Revan. "Statement: HK forty-eight activated and awaiting orders." A mechanical voice sounded from the helmet speakers, but it wasn't your typical automated voice. It actually had a slightly menacing quality about it… at least she figured it would to most people. Shepard actually found the voice to be kind of nice to the ear.

From her position at the side of the room Shepard could see a smile on the warrior’s lips. "It's good ta see ya again my friend."

"Joyous statement: Oh master my circuitry may overload with my delight."

"Well I just finished rebuilding ya so try ta contain yerrself," Revan replied with a faint chuckle.

"Confused statement: Rebuilding? Surely no meatbag was able to best my perfect form."

"Not to the best of my knowledge. Yer original model should still be functional and back in our galaxy. I took my most recent copy of yer hardware and memory and built a new body for ya. I’m sure yer sensors have already noted that this ship is of foreign design. I placed files in yer memory detailin’ just how I got here along with all the information on this galaxy I could get."

"Statement: I have accessed and read all the files master. Am I to kill all meatbags?"

"Not all," Revan replied with another chuckle. "We’re preparin’ fer a war with a machine race called Reapers. You have all the data we do."

"Admiration: Yes master, their efficiency at wiping out so much life is astounding."

"Well that doesn't make me nervous at all," Shepard laughed. She was a little surprised by the robot’s apparent bloodthirsty nature. Yet at the same time she did find it a bit amusing. She was also quite fond of what she assumed was his term for all organics.

"Statement: You need not worry. The master has placed you on priority protection. You are clearly not an average meatbag."

"That may be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me," Shepard replied with a grin. She actually heard and saw Revan chuckle in response.

"He always was the flatterer," the warrior replied, glancing back at her before looking back to the droid. "We’ll be goin’ on a mission soon. I still need ta test just how effective yer new model is in the field. Until then you’ll haveta remain in here unless I direct otherwise."

"Eager statement: I shall wait until I can once more terminate more meatbags."

"I’m sure it won't be long." With that Revan turned and left the room, Shepard following close behind her. "Well whaddya think?"

"I like him," she answered immediately. There was just something about the droid she found enjoyable. "But did you really have to program him to call you master? A bit egotistical isn't it?" She really didn't have Revan pegged for that kind of a person, hell she still didn't. It was just surprising the warrior would do something like that.

"'S standard in the majority of droid software. With ‘em bein so widespread it helps ta tell who the owner actually is. I suppose it’s a bit egotistical. I never really gave it much thought, it’s simply the norm in my galaxy." Revan shrugged her large shoulders as she replied.

Shepard supposed that was fair. Once something becomes so ingrained in a culture people no longer question it and it becomes normal behaviour. She was certain that there must be some things people did in this galaxy that struck the warrior as odd.

"So what's with the meatbag thing?" Shepard asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"That's somethin he came up with all on his own.” Revan grinned the ever so faint, but ever so sexy grin of hers.  “Malak asked HK what he thought of him. HK told ‘em he was a meatbag and nothin’ more. Malak was pretty annoyed; I thought it was funny so I programmed him ta refer to all organics that way. Malak will always be the original meatbag though."

"I think I may start using it too," Shepard replied with a chuckle. "It's pretty fun to say."

"I agree.” The grin got slightly bigger and Shepard was sure her knees shook. But then it fell away. “I also want ya ta know, I’ll leave it up ta you when he is revealed to the others.”

"I appreciate that,” Shepard nodded at the warrior, her legs firming up again.  “I just need to have a chat with Tali first. We’ll be arriving at Illium in about eight hours. I'll talk with her before then. I know you want to bring him out on the field. I don't know if we’ll see any action on Illium but it wouldn't surprise me."

"When do we not see action?” Revan asked, her voice dead serious, but after a moment, Shepard saw a tug at the left corner of her mouth.

“True,” Shepard couldn’t stop herself from grinning. They were doing playful banter now? Hell yes! “I do know how to keep things interesting.”

The elevator doors opened, but neither of them moved for a moment. Shepard’s legs when right back to being jelly when Revan returned her grin. “Ya certainly do.”

They held each other’s gaze, and Shepard was unable to look away from those shining pools of silver. Oh that smirk that should have been illegal. She didn’t know what was happening to her. She never got this entranced, this flustered by anyone.

“Shepard, others are calling for the elevator. Do you and Revan wish to go to a different floor?” EDI’s voice broke the spell that had settled over both of them, both almost jumping at the sudden voice.

Shepard visible shook herself, trying to come back to her senses. Revan simply strode from the elevator on those long legs of hers. She was quick to follow the warrior into the mess, which was deserted at this hour. Everyone had eaten breakfast long ago.

Shepard fumbled for a topic, anything to say. She just didn’t want their conversation to end. "Hey how come he doesn't look like a…robot, or droid, or whatever." She gave herself a mental high-five for that one. It didn’t sound like something she just pulled out of her ass.

Revan was digging around in the fridge as she answered. "They aren't as common in yer galaxy. If I ever gotta send him off on his own it’ll be easier for ‘em ta travel undetected if he just looks like a human wearin armor. I also implanted him with code ta trick any scanners into thinking he is a human."

Revan rose from the fridge, a large plate of the breakfast Rubert had made that morning in her hands. The cook always made sure to leave enough for them when his shift was done. Revan dished up two plates and began reheating them. She even began brewing Shepard’s favourite tea.

"Clever," she replied, not bothering to stop her smile at the action.

She could feel the heat creeping up into her cheeks. She tried to hide it by looking for two mugs. She honestly didn’t remember when this routine had begun between her and Revan, it had simply begun happening and neither of them commented on it. Revan would reheat their breakfast and boil the water. Shepard would fix their tea, knowing exactly how Revan preferred it. Strongly brewed with just a pinch of sugar.

“I still find it ridiculous yer whole galaxy is scared of AI.” Revan rolled her eyes as she brought their plates to the table.

“Honestly? I do too,” Shepard chuckled as she sat down at the table, handing Revan a steaming mug. “I mean, yeah the Geth thing was bad, but come on. How else are we supposed to grow and advance unless we learn from those kinds of mistakes? Banning the technology isn’t learning, it’s running away.”

Shepard looked up from her plate to see Revan giving her a curious look. She was doing that ridiculously adorable head tilt thing of hers and Shepard couldn’t handle it! She looked back down at her plate, hiding her flushing cheeks behind her hair.

“What?” she asked, feeling like a damn kid with a crush.

“Nothin,” Revan replied, but her voice was off. Something Shepard had never heard was in it. “I just…heh,” suddenly the warrior began chuckling that soft, low laugh of hers. “I said almost exactly the same ta Tali the other day.”

“Really?” Shepard looked up again, her own chuckle escaping her throat. “How’d she take that?”

“She didn’t punch me,” Revan shrugged, taking a bite of her food, her voice still slightly amused.

“Always a positive.” Shepard grinned at the warrior, not even surprised anymore to see it returned. Of course the lack of surprise didn’t make the grin any less sexy.

The finished their breakfast in silence, but it was far from uncomfortable, at least for Shepard. Although, judging from Revan’s relaxed demeanour, it was the same for her. Shepard simply enjoyed the warrior’s presence. There was something oddly comfortable and familiar about it. Even though this…friendship, yeah, that’s what it was, even though it was new, it felt old. Like they had known each other for years.

Shepard didn’t bother thinking about it too much. She had learned long ago it was just easier to go with things as they happened rather than analyze the hell out of them.

“Shepard.” The redhead’s legs almost gave out when Revan said her name. She still wasn’t used to that. And she had no fucking idea how Revan could make just her name sound so damn sexy.

“You should talk with Miranda before we land," Revan said as they carried their empty dishes to the washer.

"Something wrong?"

"Somethin’s been troublin her fer the past two days now. I’m sure she would be more than willing ta talk about it with ya."

Shepard was pretty sure Miranda would rather talk to Revan about it, but she supposed that by the warrior’s logic it was Shepard’s duty to look after her crew. It also probably had to do with Revan’s habit of avoiding any discussions that were too personal. She wasn’t even surprised by the request. She knew by now Revan did care. She just seemed to want to keep a distance from these kind of things, for whatever reason.

"I'll have a chat with her then," she answered as she handed Revan her dishes.

She also had to speak with Garrus about what was eating him up. She had noticed the change in her friend since they had found him but she had held off on talking to him about it.

He went through moments when she honestly thought that nothing was wrong. Hell he had gone whole days where he had convinced her that it was just her imagination. But she was certain now. His temper was shorter now, and most of all he looked sad. She had caught him a few times when he thought no one could see him, or that he was alone. It had taken her a while to read Turian expressions, and she still wasn't an expert but she could read Garrus like a book.

Part of her felt like shit for taking this long to talk to him about it. He had been there for her when she was having issues, but when something is bothering him she just ignored it. She had just been so wrapped up in everything to do with the mission and trying to figure Revan out that she had ignored it. She had been a shitty friend. It was time to change that.

So she now had three talks that she absolutely had to get done today. Tali was probably going to be the worst. She really hoped her friend could be calm and mature enough to deal with HK. Shepard knew that in the long run Tali would be fine with it. She was just worried about her friend’s initial reaction. Maybe she should get that one over with first…

* * *

 

Shepard found her friend in the engine room, as usual. She was typing away of the console, not even noticing Shepard’s approach. For a moment she actually considered just not telling Tali and trying to keep HK a secret. But that was both unrealistic and unfair. Tali was her friend, and she deserved to know.

"Hey Tali," she said, trying to sound normal as she moved to stand beside the Quarian, glancing at the console. She didn't even bother trying to understand what was on it.

"What's wrong?" Tali immediately stopped typing and turned to face Shepard. A hint of concern had entered her voice.

"Why does something have to be wrong?" Shepard immediately defended.

"The only time you ever greet anybody by saying just 'hey' is when something is bothering you or you need to talk."

Was she really that transparent? Dammit she would really have to watch that in the future. Shepard didn't mind her close friends, like Tali, being able to read her well, but she didn't want strangers to be able to read her.

"Okay, yeah I do need to talk to you about something. But I need you to promise to let me finish before you say anything, okay?" The Quarian nodded so she continued. "Alright. Revan built a robot, or droid, or whatever." She could see her friend’s eyes get slightly wider but Tali remained silent. "I think he’s an AI of some kind. At least he seems too intelligent for just a simple mech. Now I know how you probably feel, but I need you to understand a few things."

Shepard took in a breath and collected her thoughts for a moment; she had gone through this on her way here. Thankfully Tali was remaining silent but she could tell her friend was not pleased.

"Okay first. Remember that these robots are incredibly common place in Revan's galaxy. So I think it would be safe to assume she would know how to build one that wouldn't go all Geth on us. Secondly, this droid she specifically built is an exact copy of one that she has had for several years. She regards HK as one of her best friends so I can't see anything going wrong with him. Thirdly there is only one of him so we don't have to worry about him networking with other units and getting smarter."

Shepard let her shoulders sag as she finished. That was pretty much everything she had to say. She could tell just by the way that Tali was standing that her friend was not happy about this. But she had yet to explode in a fit of rage so things were going pretty well.

"Tali I’m not asking you to be best friends with HK. Hell, you don't even have to talk to him. I am just asking you to not do anything crazy, or start hating Revan. I trust her; she wouldn't do anything that would hurt any of us or our mission."

"Shepard you can't seriously expect me to work with that thing!" Tali shouted, the anger was clear in her voice. But it wasn't as strong as Shepard had been anticipating.

"No Tali I don't. You don't have to even talk to him, and he won't talk to you if you don't want."

"IT! It isn't a person Shepard! It's a machine that could potentially turn on us!"

"Shit Tali,” Shepard sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose tightly. She didn’t want to argue. “Revan considers that machine to be her best friend! So, in my books HK is as good as a person. And this ship is full of people that could potentially turn on us! That doesn't mean that they will. You don't have to work with HK, you don't have to like him." Shepard sighed as she leaned back against the console.

She really didn't want to get into an argument with Tali. She may not understand exactly how her friend felt but she had some idea. She was pretty sure a fair number of the crew would have reservations about working with HK. She could understand that. She didn't need people to be happy about this though. She didn't need Tali to be happy about it.

"Just don't be pissed at Revan, that's all I am asking. Just let her have this Tali. She doesn't have anyone else."

That statement caused a pang of pain in Shepard’s chest. Was it true? Did…did Revan still feel alone? It was hard to know for sure. She thought, she felt that Revan didn’t feel that way anymore. That they were growing closer. They were at least friends. Right?

Tali was quiet for a moment. Shepard couldn't read her friends reaction. Her eyes narrowed slightly but she had no idea what the reason for it was. "Alright Shepard. Just don't ask me to work with it and we’ll be fine." Tali turned back to the console and resumed her work. "Now I have two machines I have to watch."

"Thank you Tali." Her friend simply nodded and continued working. Shepard began heading back to the elevator.

Well that had gone as good as she could have hoped for. At least she didn't have to worry about Revan trying to push the droid on her friend. She would keep HK away from Tali and Shepard would just have to make sure they were never in a squad together.

She walked into the elevator and hit the button for the crew deck. One conversation down, two more to go. Damn she really should have at showered before doing all of this. At the very least she should have changed out of her armor. How did Revan go around all day in her armor? That stuff was so damn heavy—how did it not get annoying? Of course, to Revan the armour probably weighed nothing.

The doors opened and she headed towards Miranda's room. A few of the crew were in the mess eating lunch. Shepard's stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She would have to grab some after this next chat. She stopped outside Miranda's door and knocked twice. It only took a few seconds before the door automatically opened.

Miranda had told her before that she didn't need to knock, but at the same time she seemed to appreciate that fact the Shepard always did. Miranda was the kind of person that appreciated her privacy so Shepard would give her that courtesy.

"Hello Shepard." Miranda glanced up from her console. "Just finish your daily thrashing?"

It hadn't taken long before the crew had found out about her sessions with Revan. It had quickly become a running joke that she spent every morning getting her ass kicked repeatedly. Joker and Garrus found it particularly amusing.

"I’m beginning to think she’s lying every time she says I’m making progress. I think I may actually be getting worse," she answered with a chuckle. Sitting down in her regular chair she stretched some of her sore muscles.

"I doubt Revan would say you were getting better just to make you feel better."

"That's true." She had never actually doubted that. "It's funny. I used to think I was pretty good at hand to hand combat. Ranked in the top of my classes during N-Seven training. Revan makes me feel like I’m back at basic again."

"Remember that she has been honing her fighting skills since she was five."

"Oh I know. It's abundantly clear everyday how she could easily kick all our asses."

"It's a good thing she is on our side."

"You can say that again,” Shepard chuckled softly, shaking her head. They really would be fucked if Revan wasn’t on their side.

“Look I'll be honest with you. The reason I’m here is because Revan mentioned that something has been bothering you."

"She did?" Miranda's eyes hadn't been too focused before, occasionally drifting back down to her console. Now they shot up and stared right at Shepard. Well it probably wasn't as obvious as that. She probably would have missed the reaction if she hadn't already been watching very closely for one.

"Yeah, she’s way too good at reading people. But I guess if you come from a culture that wears full armor and helmets all the time you have to get very good at reading body language. Being a damn psychic also helps. So what's wrong Miranda?"

"I…I was going to bring it to your attention before we got to Illium. I just didn't want to bother you with my personal problems."

"Miranda don't ever think that you’ll be bothering me. Look you may not feel this way but I consider you a friend. That means I’ll always take on your problems as though they were my own."

"Shepard I…" It was obvious that Miranda was having difficulty even processing those words. From everything Shepard knew about her, she didn't have many, if any friends at all.

Yes she had only known the woman for a short time; yes she could be cold and distant. But that did not change the fact that she was still a good person who always did the best she could do. Shepard felt guilty that she really didn't spend as much time with Miranda as she should. She would have to change that. Still, she had always prided herself on having a good judge of character. Despite the walls Miranda put up she was still a good person. Shepard still considered her a friend.

"Miranda I’m not going to make you tell me. But it's obvious now that it’s something serious if you were going to bring it to my attention. I’ll do everything in my power to help you."

"It's my sister." Shepard didn't respond. She didn't quite know how at first.

She had no idea that Miranda even had a sister. The woman had been genetically engineered; she only had a father, who was apparently a gigantic ass. Her sister must have been created in a similar fashion.

"She was another one of my father's attempts to create a dynasty. When I found out about her I broke in and took her away. Cerberus helped me find her a home and keep her safe. She'll almost be nineteen now." Miranda smiled for a moment before her eyes locked onto Shepard’s again. "She has a family. She knows nothing about our father or Cerberus. She has a normal life Shepard. But now he’s found her."

"We have to get her out of there then," Shepard responded instantly.

She knew that Miranda would never exaggerate about how terrible her father was. While she may not know firsthand what it was like to have a family, Shepard knew that she would do anything to protect her friends. Having a sister must feel a lot like that, if not more powerful.

"I’ve already made arrangements. I would...I just want to be there to watch over everything, to make sure nothing goes wrong. You don't have to come with me. If you could just give me leave to-"

"Of course I will come with you," Shepard quickly cut her off. She could tell that Miranda would appreciate the help but was too professional to ask. "We’ll make sure that your sister is safe again, you have my word. As soon as we land on Illium we’ll head out."

"Thank you Shepard." Miranda's face softened, and her ice blue eyes stopped being so cold and detached. They had become genuinely warm for a moment.

"You don't need to thank me, Miranda. You’re my friend. That means anyone who fucks with you or your family is going to be dead in a hurry."

"Maybe I should call my father and tell him that," Miranda said with a chuckle, her mood lightening a little. "That may actually scare him off."

"We could make buttons for people to wear. They could say 'I am Commander Shepard’s favorite person on the Citadel' or wherever they are living." Both women shared a laugh, and Miranda almost looked genuinely happy for a moment.

"Thank you Shepard."

"Anytime Miranda," she said with a smile. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go do something about how I smell."

"I was trying to be polite by not saying anything," Miranda replied with a faint grin.

"I admire your restraint," she said with a laugh.Getting out of the chair she left the woman's room, waving goodbye as the door closed.

* * *

 

"Vakarian!" Shepard shouted as she walked through the battery doors. She had to fight very hard to stifle her laugh as the Turian visibly jumped at her sudden and loud entrance.

"Spirits, Shepard you-"

"Sit your ass down!" She pointed to his cot in the corner, fixing him with a hard glare as she did. Again she had to bite back her laugh as he quickly complied, like a child being scolded by their parent. It was pretty cute.

She had been wracking her brain for the past couple hours on how best to approach this situation with him, and finally she had settled on this. Not particularly because it was the most effective, it was just the most fun. "EDI lock the door." Almost immediately she heard the door seal shut. Looking back to Garrus she could swear he was almost sweating.

"Shepard what's wrong, what did I do?" The nervousness was clear in his voice as he spoke.

"Nothing," she said, flashing him a smile, allowing her fake anger to fade away.

"You're an ass," Garrus said, letting out a sigh of what sounded like relief.

"Eh, you still love me," she replied quickly, waving his comment aside as she leaned against the console opposite his cot. "But I do need to talk to you."

"Yeah sure, just as long as you aren't mad at me."

"At you no. I am mad at myself though."

"Why?" Garrus sounded completely shocked by her simple statement. God the faith he had in her not being able to do anything wrong was distressing sometimes.

"I’ve been a shitty friend," she answered flatly.

"Shepard you-"

She held up her finger to silence him. "Garrus just shut up and listen." She flashed him a small smile to try and keep the mood light. "I have been a bad friend. I’ve been noticing for some time that something’s been bothering you. Like an ass though, I was too wrapped in my own shit to talk to you about it. And don't-" she held up her hand again to silence his coming response, "try and deny it. You Turians may be tough to read for us humans but I can read you. I'm not stupid. Something happened to you in the two years that I was gone; if I was to take a guess it has something to do with how you ended up under siege by mercs on Omega."

Garrus's mandibles twitched once, a clear sign that he was holding something in. His eyes looked away from hers. "Shepard I…" his voice fell away and he looked straight at the floor, his right hand tightening around the edge of the cot.

It pained her to see him in this state; it also made her blood boil to know that someone could hurt him this much. It made her want to find them and rip them to pieces with her bare hands. She could tell that Garrus was having a hard time getting the words out so she wracked her brain trying to figure it out.

She had been right about everything so far. Was there some clue that she had missed? She tried to remember when they had rescued him. It was a blur of killing mercenaries, but she still tried to sort through the memories.

She remembered breaking through their lines, running through the building to find him, how happy she had been when she saw his face. Then they held back waves of mercenaries, she had gone down stairs to fight them.

She tried to recall the details of the hideout; it had been full of weapons and other ordinance…too much for one person. There must have been others with hi— body bags. There had been a row of body bags, carefully placed along a wall.

"You had a team," she said softly. "The mercenaries killed them." She looked up. Garrus still wasn't looking at her. He just nodded his head. His grip on the cot had become tighter, his talons piercing the cloth. "Garrus, tell me what happened."

"After you…died… I was going through Spectre training. The council called off the search for your body, declared you dead. Then they started dismissing all your claims about the Reapers, trying to bury everything you stirred up. I couldn't take it anymore. I wasn't about to work for those assholes. So I packed up and headed to Omega, figured I could at least do some good there."

Garrus let out a long breath. His grip on the cot had loosened and he glanced up at her for a second before looking towards a different part of the room. "And I did. I started taking out the mercenaries that made life miserable for the people. It didn't take long before people wanted to help out. It wasn't long before I had a squad. They were good people, all kinds of military backgrounds, pretty sure one of them had been in the STG. Anyways we were doing good work, killing a lot of mercs and saving a lot of lives. Then…"

He took in another deep breath before continuing. "I got a call from one of my men. Sidonis. He asked for my help with a job, nothing out of the ordinary. I headed out to meet him but when I got to the RV he wasn't there. I waited for a while, tried calling him but nothing. Then one of my men finally got through to me. The mercenaries were attacking our hideout. By the time I got back…there were only two of them left. Their wounds were too bad though, they bled out within five minutes of me getting there."

Garrus started breathing heavily now, and his grip on the cot came back stronger than ever. His talons dug through the material and even the metal frame groaned slightly under the pressure. "That piece of shit Sidonis sold us out." His voice was practically a growl now, low and dripping with a hatred Shepard had never heard from her friend.

"Are you sure? They could have taken him out first." She tried to offer any solutions that would ease her friend's mind, to ease his anger.

"No!" he snapped back, hate filled eyes locking with hers. "I checked! The bastard sold us out. He cleaned out all his accounts and ran from Omega. Because of him all those good men are dead! Because of his greed my friends were slaughtered!" He was standing now, visibly shaking with rage. "I swore on their graves that I would find Sidonis and put a bullet through his skull."

"Sounds like a plan," Shepard said flatly. She knew what Garrus needed to hear, and it was the same with how she felt. She could not stand traitors, people who left their former comrades to die while they cut and ran. Those people deserved to die. "I take it you are already looking for him?"

"I have feelers out."

"Well let me know as soon as you find him, then we’ll hunt him down."

"Thank you Shepard." His anger had subsided slightly. he was no longer shaking but she could still see the other thing that was there.

"Garrus, you can't blame yourself for your team's death."

"I don't, I blame Sidonis." His tone was firm and unwavering but she could see it in his eyes.

"You can't lie to me Garrus. I know you think it's your fault. But it isn't."

"I should have known better."

"You were betrayed by someone you trusted. There is no possible way you could have known." She kept her tone calm but firm. He needed to know she wasn't just trying to make him feel better.

"I shou—"

"Garrus!" She snapped, quickly silencing him. "You’re blaming yourself for not being able to see the future." She walked closer to him, poking a finger directly into his chest, fixing him with a hard stare. "And that is fucking stupid. Even for a bird-brained idiot like you." She lightened her tone now, letting some humor into the conversation.

His mandible flared slightly, a sign that he wanted to smile but held it back. She knew she was getting through to him. "I know what you are going through. I really do. But you can't blame yourself. It won't do any good and it's stupid. You did the best you could for your men, and you are still doing everything you can for them. They followed you because they believed in what you were doing. I know that they would have no regrets about anything."

She took a step back; squaring off from him she gave him another hard stare. "We slaughtered all the mercs responsible. We will find Sidonis and put him in the ground with them. I promise you."

"Thank you Shepard." His voice was back to normal now. He sounded genuinely grateful and she could see the pain and anger in his eyes fading away. She had made him a promise, and he knew that meant it would happen no matter what.

"You're my friend Garrus. You know I would do just about anything for you."

"Why only 'just about anything'?" he said with a small chuckle.

"You know that dancing is off the table."

"But it could serve as a very good distraction. Think about it, with all our enemies rolling around on the floor laughing they would be so much easier to kill." He was smiling and his tone was playful.

Shepard was happy to hear her friend back to his old self for the time being, and she couldn't help reacting to his comment the only way she knew how.

"Hey I have been meaning to ask you," she said offhandedly, a grin coming to her lips as she brought her right leg back slightly. "Do Turians have balls?"


	18. Big Sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanna see what Revan looks like, head over to my Tumblr.

Miranda was already geared up and waiting for Shepard to arrive at the airlock and she was doing her best to not pace back and forth. She mentally scolded herself for getting so worked up already. Nothing had gone wrong. Nothing would go wrong. Nickett would make sure of that. She took a deep breath to calm herself and quiet her racing mind. Everything would be okay.

Luckily she only had to wait only a few more minutes by herself before she could hear heavy footsteps approach and Shepard came around the corner, Revan right behind her. Miranda noted that the warrior didn't have any of her lightsabers present.

Instead she had a Carnifex attached to her right thigh and there was the butt of a large rifle over her shoulder. She looked like a simple mercenary, like the thousands who visited this world. Miranda knew the move was completely intentional. 

"Ready to go?" asked Shepard, flashing her a smile.

"Yes, my contact will be meeting us at a local bar in an hour."

Shepard nodded and led the way out of the airlock. Miranda was still a bit surprised that the woman was so willing to help her. Of course it completely fit with the woman's profile but still, to experience her kindness first hand was…nice. People always wanted something in return for their help; it was the way the galaxy worked. But Shepard wanted nothing, apart from her crew to be happy and safe.

As much as she was loathed to admit it, not even Cerberus had been willing to help her for free. In return for their protection she worked for them, doing whatever they needed done. Yes she enjoyed her job and the challenges it brought. Still, a part of her knew that Shepard would not only help her but also be perfectly fine if she decided to walk once her sister was safe.

Part of her mind told her that Shepard would be expecting total loyalty in exchange for this favor, that this was a similar deal that she had with Cerberus. But deep down she knew better. She had been watching the woman for a long time now, and that just wasn't the kind of person Shepard was. She was…her friend.

The word was still strange to have directed at herself, and to use. Miranda had never really had any friends, with the exception of Nickett. She knew she wasn't exactly the easiest person to warm up to. And yet Shepard had called her a friend, and she had meant it.

She was snapped from her thoughts as Shepard came to a halt. An Asari walked towards them, flanked by two security bots. Easy work if it came to a fight. Miranda saw Shepard tense slightly, and her hand twitched, likely in preparation to unleash her formidable biotics. She glanced over to Revan, who looked no more ready to fight than usual.

"I’m not getting any hostile intent from her…" Revan’s voice trailed off and she head cocked to the side ever so slightly as she watched the Asari. Miranda recognized that as a sign that she was thinking about something.

"Welcome to Illium Commander Shepard," the Asari greeted in a friendly, if not diplomatic tone. "We were told to expect your arrival."

"By who?" Shepard asked bluntly

"By Liara T'soni of course. She paid all docking fees for you and asked me to instruct you to see her at her office. It's just past security, overlooking the market."

"Liara’s here? Alright, tell her I have something to take care of first then I’ll see her." The Asari nodded and Shepard continued past.

Miranda was surprised to say the least. Liara had been on the commander's original crew, and by all accounts they were very good friends. Why wouldn't she jump at an opportunity to see her friend? Perhaps she just felt guilty about changing her priorities suddenly. Miranda quickly glanced at the time on her omni-tool.

"Commander my contact won't be at the meeting for another forty-five minutes. You have plenty of time to meet with Liara before hand."

"You sure? I’m sure she can wait a few hours."

"I’m sure Shepard. There’s also a good chance that she will have information on Thane and Samara. It is her job after all."

"What do you mean it's her job?" Shepard stopped and turned to face her now, confusion clear on her face.

"Liara became an information broker after your death. A very good one by all accounts. She will probably have detailed information on such renowned people."

"Really? Didn't think anything could pry her away from studying the Protheans," Shepard said with a chuckle. "Alright I'll go see her then we’ll go meet your contact." They resumed walking again.

"I'll head there now, just in case she shows up early." She knew that Lanteia would call her if the meeting time changed, but no matter how hard she tried Miranda couldn't stop from being too paranoid about something going wrong.

"Alright, call me if anything changes."

"Of course Shepard. I’m meeting her at Eternity bar. It's just up there." She pointed towards the sign ahead. "Lanteia got a private booth. It won't be hard to find me."

"Got'cha!" Shepard said, flashing another smile, and her gaze then turned to Revan. "Hey you still with us?" She smacked the warror playfully in the chest and gave a grin.

"Yes," Revan said flatly, although she seemed to still be almost completely ignoring the two women with her.

"Well which sexy lady will get the pleasure of your incredibly lively company?" Shepard's grin got slightly bigger as she watched Revan’s reaction.

It was always hard to tell how Revan reacted to things, with her helmet and incredible control of emotions it was an almost impossible task. Now though, Miranda swore she stood up even straighter, her helmet turned to look directly at Shepard then back to scanning the crowd.

"I don’t wish to intrude on your reunion with your friend. I'll wait with Miranda for her contact."

"Ah damn! I’m back to formal speech!” Shepard shook her fist at Miranda, “You win this round Miranda! Next time she shall be mine!" Shepard did her imitation of an evil laugh as she walked away, not caring about the odd looks she was getting.

Miranda just stood watching the woman as she left; she definitely had her very own, unique sense of humor. Miranda still found the redhead highly amusing though, and she didn’t even bother covering her chuckle. 

She glanced over to Revan, who was looking in Shepard's direction, but it was impossible to tell exactly what she was looking at. "It's this way," Miranda said, leading the larger woman towards the bar. The silent warrior immediately fell in step with her.

They were blasted by noise as they walked into the bar. It was relatively busy, the music was loud, and the patrons were mostly drunk and talking at volumes to match the music. She really hated places like this. But all the noise would make it very difficult for anyone to overhear the meeting. Also the private booth would help to get them away from the noise, at least a little bit.

She led Revan towards the empty booth and sat down. Her back to the wall, Revan took a seat beside her, just out of arms reach. Despite the noise in the bar the silence between them felt heavy.

She wanted to talk to the warrior. She always enjoyed their conversations, but she needed a way to start off. It's not like Revan would initiate a conversation. Miranda stole a quick glance at the other woman, but her attention seemed to be on the room beyond.

"So why didn't you bring your lightsabers?"

"This is a major world, nothing like Omega. If I used them on a planet like this, it would be noted and would likely draw unwanted attention. After all you have nothing like them in your galaxy. I brought my whip. Easier to conceal and I’ve seen evidence of biotic whips, so it won’t draw as much attention." Revan answered in her usual formal voice, her gaze never turned away from the crowds.

"You seem…distracted." It was just a hunch but since they had come ashore Revan had been even quieter than usual. Well maybe not quieter, but she had seemed to be very distant from all the conversations that had happened.

"These Asari…they are interesting."

Is that what she had been staring at this whole time? All the women? No…no that wasn't the kind of person Revan was. She must have been speaking scientifically. The blue aliens were very unique in many ways; Miranda could understand why the warrior would be intrigued. Sometimes it was easy to forget she was from a different galaxy. She seemed very well adjusted.

"Apologies, I should clarify," Revan said suddenly, her head turning to finally look at the Cerberus officer. She must have noted the silence. "I was referring to their abilities. During my stay on Omega I didn’t encounter any Asari outside battle. Now that we’re outside of battle, with so many around…there is something odd about them."

"What do you mean?" Miranda turned slightly to look at her better, interested in what Revan had noticed, and just enjoying listening to the warrior talk about subjects she was passionate about.

"Their melding ability is somewhat similar to some force techniques. I also noted that on average they have stronger mental defenses than other species. Although I have yet to encounter the Krogan or Salarians en masse."

"Wait, are you saying the Asari can use the force?" The prospect was slightly disturbing. They were already a very powerful race, and their natural control over biotics gave them an edge over most opponents.

"I don't think so.” Revan shook her head ever so slightly as she answered. “Although I can't be certain yet. Once Shepard recruits Samara I’ll try to find out for certain. At this point though I have yet to sense a strong enough connection with the Force for any controllable powers to manifest."

Miranda inwardly sighed in relief. They fought enough Asari; she didn't want to have to worry about them having access to powers like Revan had. Although she supposed that if the aliens did have access to those powers it would have been documented by now. She glanced at the clock on her omni-tool. There was still some time until the meeting.

"You’re worried for your sister," Revan said suddenly. It was a statement, not a question.

"Reading my mind?" Miranda replied, giving her a small smile and trying to inject some humor into the conversation. Partly to try and relax herself but also to see if Revan responded to it. Shepard seemed to get some reactions out of the warrior with her humor.

"I’d never invade your privacy like that." Revan’s tone was very serious as she spoke, and Miranda could tell the warrior’s attention was completely fixed on her now. "I don't even think you realize this is the third time you’ve looked at the clock since we sat down."

"I didn't realize I was that transparent," Miranda muttered, more to herself. She mentally scolded herself for being so obvious about her feelings. She was better than that; she was supposed to have better control than that.

"You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of." Revan’s gaze still hadn't left her, but the warrior’s tone had softened slightly. "You’re worried for your sister. She should be honored to have such a loyal and protective sibling."

Miranda felt herself smile slightly at the words, but it only lasted a second as reality sunk in. "She doesn't know about me," she muttered quietly. She would never admit that deep down she hoped Revan heard her. It was nice having someone to talk to about things.

For the longest time the only person she ever felt she could trust was Nickett. She had been completely okay with that; trust was a weakness after all. It may have been a lonely life but it protected her from betrayal and kept her sister safe.

Now however, in such a short time two people had come into her life that Miranda felt she could trust. It was terrifying to open herself up, but neither Revan or Shepard had been anything short of kind and supportive of her. They were willing to listen to her and give her advice. It was a very pleasant feeling.

"She should," Revan said simply, her tone still soft. "Family’s important Miranda. She deserves to know that she has such a loyal and dedicated sister. She’d be proud to know you."

Miranda couldn't help but smile at the kind words. The tone of Revan’s voice convinced her that the warrior genuinely meant them as well, not that she really had reason to suspect Revan would ever lie to her. Revan was the type of person to speak the harsh truths and not give a shit if it bothered others. Miranda actually had to turn her head away slightly because she was scared she may blush. She wasn't used to being complimented in such a way.

This was a question she had been wrestling with for a long time though. Should she let Oriana know about her? For the longest time she felt it was best if her sister knew nothing about her, their father or Cerberus. It would allow Oriana to lead a normal life, but a part of Miranda longed for her to actually talk with her sister, to spend time together, to be a family.

"I know you want to keep her safe, and the less she knows about you, Cerberus, your father, the better she will be. But I think she deserves to know she has a sister. You deserve to know her."

"I... will think about it," she said softly. Everything the warrior said made sense; it is what she had been longing to do for the longest time. But she never thought it was possible. She didn't want her sister to have anything to do with this life. With their father or Cerberus.

Yes she owed the organization everything—her freedom, her sister's protection, her training. The Illusive Man had been good to her. But it still was not a life she wanted for Oriana. It was part of the reason Miranda had agreed to stay with Cerberus in the first place. She continued to be one of their top operatives and they made sure Oriana was safe.

True she liked the work, the challenges, and she also wanted what was best for humanity. But her top priority would be Oriana's safety and the best way to ensure that was with Cerberus's protection.

She looked back up at Revan; she was still looking at her. Revan’s mouth opened to say more, but quickly closed and her head snapped to the left. Shepard came into the room, in a hurry by the looks of it. She stopped in front of the two of them and spoke without hesitation.

"We’ve got a problem."

"What?" Revan's eyes locked on Shepard, never leaving the redhead as she sat down.

"The assassin we’re looking for, he’s already moving on his target. I know who the target is and where to find ‘em, but we need to get to her first or we’ll lose this guy."

Miranda felt her heart sink for a second. She couldn't put off moving Oriana, but they also had to find Thane…looks like she would be doing this alone. Shepard had to complete her mission, but Miranda wouldn't leave until she knew her sister was safe. She was about to speak when Shepard cut her off.

"Revan I need you to lead a team to the target. Find this Thane guy and bring him back. I'll go with Miranda to make sure her sister stays safe."

Miranda was temporarily shocked into silence. Shepard would really choose her over her primary mission? Was the woman really that devoted to those she called friend?

"Shepard you don't need to do that. I can oversee this on my own." Miranda felt a small thrill at seeing such loyalty directed towards her. Still, Shepard needed to prioritize the missions; she didn't need to make such a sacrifice.

"No, I said I’d help and I meant it." Her tone was very serious as she fixed Miranda with an intense stare, probably one of the most intense looks she had ever seen from the redhead.  Shepard turned to Revan and grinned. "I think magic lady can handle finding one assassin."

“Shepard, you should go after the assassin. Yer in command of the mission; you should be the one ta recruit him. I’ll go with Miranda and ensure her sister’s safety."

Miranda watched in mild amusement at how Revan’s tone shifted so quickly when she spoke to Shepard. Her stiff speech evaporated, her accent coming out far stronger and her voice almost became…smokier? Miranda wasn’t sure how to describe it, but there was definitely a different quality about it when the warrior spoke to Shepard.

"No, I gave you my word Miranda. I’ll see this thing through. Revan either you lead the mission to find this Thane guy, or Garrus will."

"Alright,” Revan gave a firm nod in acknowledgement.

"Good!" Shepard exclaimed with a big smile. "Radio EDI and have her notify whoever you want to take with you. Garrus is already on his way here." She turned to face Miranda. "You don't mind if he accompanies us? If something does go wrong he can actually do something useful."

"It's fine," Miranda replied with a small nod. She actually would have preferred if Revan would have accompanied them. Her powers would be immensely useful if anything did go wrong. However, she was also the best choice to lead the mission to find Thane.

"I’ll head out then," Revan said, as she rose from her seat, now towering over the two women. "I’ll keep ya apprised of the situation Shepard. If you two need a hand, call.”

"Sure thing. You sure you're gonna be okay fighting without your fancy weapons?" Shepard asked, a grin on her face. "Or should I send Garrus to keep you safe?"

"Twenty-three ta zero, Shepard." Was all Revan said, but a faint grin tugged up the left corner of her mouth before she walked away. A quick glance to Shepard and Miranda saw her give the armored woman the finger, a grin on her face the whole time.

She looked over to Miranda and must have noticed her slightly confused look. "Our sparring matches. Her wins to mine," she explained, still grinning, but it had developed onto more of a genuine smile now. It was a subtle change but Miranda noticed.

Over their time together Miranda had noticed that Shepard rarely smiled what many would call genuine smile. She did have that trademark grin of hers that could make anyone laugh, grin in response or just lighten the mood of whomever she was talking to. It was something she did often; the effects were really quite amazing to watch. All of her easy going and happy personality just showed so clearly in those grins. But the smiles, those were something very different.

Miranda had only noticed the woman give what she would call a smile a few times. The first time had been when they had found Garrus. It was that moment that Miranda had noticed this subtlety in Shepard. Miranda recalled seeing another at dinner time when Shepard, Tali, Garrus, and Joker had all been engaged in storytelling about their past exploits.

The only other time she had seen the smile was when Miranda had gone down one morning to speak with Revan about the laser cannon. It was how she had learned of Shepard's sparring sessions with Revan. Shepard was coming onto the elevator just as Miranda was stepping off. She had been bathed in sweat and looking absolutely exhausted but she had a smile on her face.

It had made Miranda curious about the nature of Revan and Shepard’s evolving relationship. It is likely that they were developing a friendship. The interaction Miranda had just witnessed, the change in Revan’s voice, it was obvious how comfortable the two were becoming around each other.

But it also made Miranda wonder, could it be more than that? She had made a mental note to watch the two more carefully from now on. But unfortunately she rarely got to see them interact as they were all rarely in the same room together. Miranda would still keep on the look out though. She was curious.

A part of Miranda found herself hoping that she could reach that point with Revan. Not a romantic relationship, Miranda wasn’t attracted to Revan like that. But she did find herself envying the closeness Shepard shared with the warrior.

Miranda knew her and Revan got along. They often spent hours talking about various projects that held an interest for both of them. In those moments Revan did loosen up, her speech becoming less rigid and her accent coming out. But it took some time to coax that out of Revan. It didn’t happen instantly like it did with Shepard.

Miranda actually found it to be quite an endearing trait in the warrior. She controlled her speech so heavily, forced it to be so different from what it actually was, unless she was comfortable. Miranda wondered if Revan even realized she did it.

"If I have to listen to this music for much longer I’m gonna kill someone," Shepard groaned, letting her head fall on the table. "Miranda how good are your hacking skills?" Her head lifted from the table and stared to stare at Miranda, hope in her eyes.

"Shepard I’m not going to hack into the bar’s network just to change the music for you." Miranda couldn't help but chuckle at the frustrated woman. It was easy to see why Revan loosened up around Shepard. The redhead had a warm, magnetic personality.

Shepard groaned again and her head fell back onto the table. "Then I’m gonna get very drunk in order to quell this homicidal level of annoyance."

"My contact will be here any minute. I promise to let you pick the music in the shuttle."

"You're an angel," Shepard replied, grinning up at her.

* * *

 

"I turned on happy music; apparently I should be playing killing music."

"You have killing music?" Miranda asked, giving the woman a quizzical look. She would hate to hear whatever music Shepard but in that category, as this stuff already wasn't very good. But considering the death glare she had given Garrus when he voiced such an opinion, Miranda had decided to keep quiet about it.

"Of course! If I’m angry and killin' then it's heavy metal all the way! If I am just killing fools who are getting in the way then it's fun time music!"

"Wait, you are listening to music during battle?" Miranda was genuinely surprised by that. It seemed very unprofessional.

"Sometimes," Shepard answered with a shrug. "My helmet filters all noise like voices, footsteps and gunfire to be louder than the music. Tali rigged it up for me during our hunt for Saren. It was the first thing I got her to do for me when she came back on board. Garrus tried to do it but he isn't as good." She grinned at the Turian in the backseat.

"Yeah, guess I just thought our priorities should be on actually killing the enemy, not having good music to do it to."

"Oh please, don't even act like you don't do the same. I have heard that shit you listen to in the background of your transmissions." Shepard grinned again at the sudden lack of response. "You should really get Tali to tweak yours too. It's really nice."

"Shepard!" Miranda said suddenly, her eyes spotting a group of gunships circling the docks below them. The other woman instantly saw this and brought them down for a landing.

The plan was simple. They would distract the Eclipse mercenaries her father had hired and give time for Nickett to get her sister to safety. The car landed and Shepard was the first out, walking directly towards the mercenaries and shouting, "Hey assholes!" At least distracting them shouldn't be too hard.

Miranda quickly followed the commander along with Garrus. The mercenaries had turned to face them, six in all. One of them, a man, walked forward with two others while the rest hung back, no doubt to line up shots.

"I suggest you throw down your weapons," he said, with all the authority of your typical hot shot merc, "We’re here to protect only the one daughter. The boss didn't say we couldn't kill this bitch."

"Oh my god, I had no idea!" said Shepard, bringing her hand to cover her mouth, or where it was behind the helmet. "So sorry sir, we’ll disarm ourselves right way." Miranda's close proximity allowed her to feel Shepard activate her biotics, which gave her a second to react.

As Shepard shot forward Miranda pulled her pistol free, firing a single high-powered shot into the skull of the nearest mercenary. Shepard meanwhile had collided with the leader; her hand still glowed as she slammed it through his chest. Miranda shifted fire, shooting the second merc twice in the chest. As Shepard pulled her hand free there was a loud report of a rifle, and a second later a shipping container fell from above and crushed the remaining three mercs who had been clumped together.

"Damn I'm good," Garrus said proudly.

"Fuck," Shepard said loudly. "Now I’m in last place."

"Shepard, we need to keep moving and draw attention away from Nickett." Miranda said, trying to get the focus back. She knew this was just how the commander was but she still felt the need to keep everyone on task.

"Right, it's time for angry killing music," said Shepard as she began moving forward, pulling her Tempest SMG free. She had yet to find what she deemed as a suitable replacement for her lost shotgun.

"Why angry?" Miranda asked as they moved through the docks, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I’m in last place for the kill count, they called you a bitch, and they are after your sister-" they rounded a corner, coming face to face with another mercenary who she quickly killed with a headshot. "Shepard is angry!" shouted the woman as she activated her charge to launch her into a group of three mercenaries.

The first was likely killed as Shepard collided with him, the second was killed by a burst of fire to their face, the third was behind her but was quickly staggering back from receiving an elbow to the face before falling dead to a burst of fire to their chest.

Miranda wasted no time in rushing past the commander as more Eclipse began running towards them from further down the docks. She dropped one with a double tap. Garrus took down a second with a single shot to the head while Shepard killed the last with a long burst from her SMG.

"Okay, I’m starting to like this thing," Shepard said, likely grinning behind her helmet. "Recoil is a bitch though,"

"Thought you liked a little fight Shepard," Garrus responded with a laugh.

"Okay you need to stop hanging around Joker."

"Shepard we need to hurry," Miranda said, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. She really didn't mind their banter most days but right now she was too worried about Oriana and she knew it was getting to her. Still Shepard was helping her so it wouldn't be very polite of her to snap at someone who was trying to be a good friend.

"Right." Shepard's tone completely changed then, the usual lightheartedness leaving it to be replaced with a cool and controlled tone. "Let's kill every last one of these fuckers."

Despite everything Miranda felt herself smile. To hear such determination coming from the woman and knowing it was all from a drive to see her sister safe…Miranda knew she was lucky to have such a friend.

It didn't make sense. It was a mistake, false information. They must know she was listening in. Nickett wouldn't betray her! He was the one who had helped her escape in the first place! He is the one who helped her rescue Oriana. He wouldn't hand her over to their father. He just wouldn't.

Her hand was shaking from gripping her pistol so tightly. He wouldn't betray her. He wouldn't. He was her friend; he had been her only friend for so long. He wouldn't do this to her. The Eclipse leader was lying.

The doors parted and she was the first one through, but she only made it a few steps before her body refused to move any further. The Eclipse leader sat on a crate, looking totally at ease as she talked with Nickett and a dock worker. Miranda recognized him instantly, and as his voice reached her ears her whole body began to tremble with rage.

Shepard took a step ahead of her, getting the attention of the group. Nickett's eyes instantly fell on her and widened. Miranda didn't hear the conversation between Shepard and the Eclipse, she barely even registered the dock worker fleeing in terror. Hey eyes were fixed on Nickett.

"Why?" she breathed "I trusted you."

"Miri…"

"I trusted you!" she shouted, and taking a step forward she aimed at his head. "I trusted you."

"I didn't know I was helping you kidnap a child," he shot back, anger clear in his voice.

"I rescued her!" she snarled in response.

How dare he use that word, he knew what her father was like. He had been her only friend since childhood. He saw the things she had gone through, how she had been treated like nothing more than a prized possession.

"You wanted to leave. Oriana never had that choice. You never gave her that choice." He sounded so sure of himself, that he was doing the right thing. "This isn't how I wanted this to happen Miri."

"Don't call me that," she spat. The nickname made her feel physically ill.

She looked away for a moment as her emotions threatened to get the better of her. She thought of Oriana, of her duty to her sister. She saw the life that Oriana could have, that she should have, one where she was safe and happy with her family. Her resolve returned at the images and became even stronger.

She looked the traitor in the eye once more. "This isn't how I wanted it either. Now you’re just another loose end. Goodbye Nickett."

Without remorse or hesitation she pulled the trigger. The traitor’s head snapped backwards as the back of his head exploded, spraying the stack of crates with blood, bone, and bits of brain. He fell without a sound and Miranda didn't spare him a second glance. She swung the pistol towards the Asari who was already aiming her shotgun. The alien was slammed back into the crates by a blue blur. Shepard pounded a fist into the alien’s face, and she quickly and rather expertly disarmed her foe before launching a quick furry of attacks which brought the alien to the ground. Shepard didn't hesitate to fire a burst from her SMG into the woman's head.

"Looks like those lessons are paying off," Garrus observed.

Miranda was inclined to agree. The display had been impressive. She didn't voice her thoughts though as her mind quickly returned to the task at hand. She scanned the area and quickly found the cowering dock worker. Miranda advanced on the worker, hauling her to her feet; she didn't have time nor the care to coddle her.

"What changes were made to the Wilson family's transport?"

"N-none!" the woman sputtered, her voice full of fear. "That man didn't have the authorization to make any changes."

Miranda held in her sigh of relief, she would be sure to give Linatea a bonus for that. "Where are they now?"

"They should be at terminal four; their next shuttle arrives in an hour. Please don't kill me."

"I won't, thank you." She stepped away from the worker and headed towards the elevator where the others were waiting.

"Everything okay?" Shepard asked as they stepped inside.

"She should be at one of the terminals waiting for her connecting flight. I need to go and make sure she’s safe." She would not be satisfied until she saw Oriana get on that flight.

"Of course, we’ll go and make sure that everything else goes smoothly."

"Thank you Shepard," Miranda let the words come out with the sigh of relief she had been holding in. Everything had gone so wrong so quickly, she still hadn't even processed what had happened. She still couldn't do that though.It would have to wait until Oriana was safe.

Miranda led the way, navigating through the busy terminals; it wasn't too hard for three heavily armed individuals to push through the crowd. The local security eyed them warily but made no move to stop them. Mercenaries were quite common on the planet. She stopped at the entrance terminal three and scanned the crowd, slowly walking in deeper to get a better look. Her heart started to pound harder as she couldn't find Oriana through the crowd.

Something must have gone wrong. The dock worker must have lied, she wasn't here! Dammit she needed to—Miranda froze when her eyes finally found their target. Oriana stood with her family, an older man and woman and a young boy, perhaps ten. She was at a complete loss for words as she watched them. Her sister was safe…and happy. She was smiling as she talked with her family. At one point she ruffled the boys hair, much to his annoyance but it made her laugh. Miranda could only watch, a smile slowly forming on her face. Everything was okay, Oriana was safe. Her family was safe and they were happy.

"I take it that's her?" Shepard asked, following her eyes to the family.

"Yeah…" Miranda answered softly. "That's her and her family." Her happy family…she could not even describe how the sight before her truly made her feel. Her sister had everything she deserved, a happy life and a loving family.

Miranda had fought so long and so hard to make sure she had those things. Finally seeing it for the first time was…perfect. All her doubts and concerns were washed away in an instant. Anything she may have regretted doing in the past did not matter anymore. She would have paid any price for this. This was her reason for everything she had ever done, and it was worth it.

"So are you going to say hi?" asked Shepard. Her helmet was off now and she was looking between Miranda and Oriana.

"I can't," she whispered. "She’s happy, has a family. She doesn't need me, doesn't need the trouble I would bring."

"You think she looks happy now? She’ll be ten times happier to learn she has a sister who loves her this much."

"Shepard I—"

"Miranda," she turned to face her now. "You don't have to go telling her everything about you and Cerberus. But would it really be so bad for her to know about you? And would it really be so bad for you to know her? You deserve to know her."

Miranda didn't respond right away. Shepard's words made her remember her earlier conversation with Revan. It almost made her laugh at how both of them were telling her almost the exact same thing. Revan's words had already made her seriously consider it, and now with Shepard’s further encouragement she found herself so close to taking that step.

"I wouldn't even know what to say," she said softly, doubt beginning to creep in again.

"I find 'Hi' is a good start. Go on, we’ll wait as long as you want."

Miranda didn't get a chance to say anything before Shepard gave her back a shove and she stumbled forward, closer to Oriana. She was only a dozen feet away now, and her stumble must have drawn Oriana's attention because she was now looking her way.

Miranda's heart began racing faster than it ever had in her entire life; she was actually beginning to sweat from nervousness. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as she walked forward. As she got closer, she felt a smile beginning to form. No matter how scared she was, now matter how nervous, she had wanted this for so long.

She was within speaking distance now and Oriana was still looking at her. So many years of watching over her, of protecting her. She had done everything in her power to make sure her sister had the life she deserved. But never once had she dared to speak to her, to get to know her. She had yearned for it all her life. Nothing else could compare.

Her heart was still racing and she was still more nervous than she had been in her entire life, but still she felt a smile tug at her lips as she spoke the words she had been dreaming of for so long. "Hi Oriana."


	19. Precipice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have also posted a tie in fic for this story. It's a series of one-shots based on the characters here. It is just ideas that either didn't fit in the main story, AU's, or just me exploring different character relationships.

"Great, so I'm stuck with a geezer and…who the fuck are you anyway?" Jack turned to look at the tall and silent third member of their party. He was wearing what looked like a suit of that heavy Terminus armor that was painted a rust orange color.

Zaeed didn't know who it was either,.hell no one really did. He had just kind of appeared from nowhere and met them at the airlock after that AI with the oddly attractive voice had told them to get ready. Apparently Revan was leading them on a mission while Shepard helped that Cerberus woman, Miranda.

He hadn't really had much interaction with that woman; she just came off as ice cold so he hadn't really bothered. Apparently her and Revan were pretty friendly though, and she was also pals with Shepard, but then again who wasn't Shepard friends with? She was easily one of the most charming and likable women he had ever met. Which meant she was off helping the Cerberus officer with some personal drama while Revan led this mission.

He wasn't complaining though, far from it. He had a few opportunities to talk to the armoured woman and he was nothing short of very impressed. Zaeed had met some tough bastards in his day, but none of them even came close to Revan.

Take away her crazy powers and she would still wipe the floor with anyone who crossed her path. Hell, apparently she had been kicking Shepard’s ass on a daily basis and that woman had taken out a few thousand Geth and Saren.

Zaeed felt completely at ease being placed under Revan’s command, which wasn't something that happened often, or ever really. He also liked her on a personal level. She wasn't all high and mighty like one might expect, and she had a common grunt’s sense of humor too, which was always a bonus.

Zaeed made a mental note to swap some more war stories with the warrior later on. Those had been pretty good times. Of course Revan's stories put all his to shame by comparison. Hell she put pretty much everyone's to shame. Only Shepard could come close to matching and even she was still pretty far off.

"Observation: You are very small, even for a meatbag."

Zaeed's head snapped over to their unknown companion. He recognized an AI's voice when he heard it, and this was definitely one. This thing was a bloody robot? Revan had built herself some kind of soldier robot, like the Geth?

"What the hell did you just call me?" asked Jack, although for once she actually sounded more amused than pissed.

"Declaration: I must warn you, the master has not placed you on priority protection, therefore any hostile actions will cause your immediate termination."

"I'd like to see you try tin-man," Jack scoffed, but she did surprisingly back down. Although that may have just been because Revan came around the corner at that exact second.

"Glad to see you all getting along," she said, nodding in greeting. "Jack, Zaeed, this is HK-forty-eight. He’ll be accompanying us on this mission. We need to leave now; the assassin should already be on the move. We’ll meet with the contact and she’ll take us to the target location." With that she turned and headed back into the main port, with the others quickly following, although Jack did try to keep up the appearance of lagging back.

Zaeed almost laughed as he watched her. She was a tough little bitch to be sure, but Revan had already beaten her down once and it hadn't even caused the warrior to break a sweat. It seemed Jack was gaining some kind of respect for the much larger woman but was trying not to show it. He chuckled softly as he pulled up beside Revan. Between those two there wasn't much that could stand in their way.

"So, a robot, eh?"

"Trust me, he’ll outperform anything you’ve ever seen, Geth included. HK, what was your last confirmed kill count?" she asked, glancing back at the robot who was walking on her left side, exactly one step behind.

"Answer: Two hundred and thirty-five direct kills. Indirect kills are estimated to be an additional three hundred."

Zaeed grinned faintly. That damn robot probably had around the same number of kills as he did. He was also guessing that this robot hadn't exactly been mass produced or deployed as a frontline unit. Its kit consisted of a Widow Maker and Carnifex pistol. Leading him to guess that it was a sniper unit or played some other support role.

Speaking of kit, Zaeed looked at Revan, noticing that she didn't carry her usual lightsabers, only that one that turned into a bloody whip. Instead she had…holy shit.

"Is that a Typhoon?" He still had contacts in the Alliance and had heard about some of their N7 teams getting a few of the prototype weapons. He had been trying to get his hands on one but they were locked up tight.

"Yes it is. It's an impressive weapon. I made a few modifications to it, primarily swapping the heatsink and reducing the recoil." Of course she had managed to improve a weapon that the Alliance had been working on for the past two years.

"How the hell did you get a hold of one?"

"You could say I’m independently wealthy. I learned a long time ago that for the right price you can get just about anything." They continued walking for a few moments with Zaeed burning with jealousy before Revan glanced over at him. "I have two spares."

"You just became my new favorite person," he replied with a grin. With one of those he could shoot that traitorous fuck Vido until there was nothing left. Him and all his pathetic excuses for mercenaries.

"You two gonna kiss now?" Jacked scoffed from behind. Of course the first time she speaks in almost ten minutes is to throw some kind of insult out. Crazy biotic powers aside she really did act like a child sometimes.

Zaeed had seen it before though. It was a defense mechanism. Throw up a wall of anger and bitterness. Keep everybody out and ensure no one can hurt you. He couldn't blame her—he used to be like that too.

After that little shit betrayed him, he had gone on the war path. What few friends he had left quickly abandoned him. He didn't blame them. He had been an even bigger asshole back then.

Neither he nor Revan bothered to reply to Jack's comment, which seemed to irk her some. Zaeed had to stop himself from chuckling as he wondered who would crack her first. Revan or Shepard. Both had the charisma to do it. They just had different methods.

Frankly he had his money on Revan. He just figured Jack's personality would respond better to Revan's way of doing things. Without a response she couldn't stir up any kind of confrontation, so it didn't take her long to switch targets.

"Hey Tinman. You said you had around three hundred confirmed kills? I bet that I get more kills than you on this mission."

"There’s no guarantee we’ll even encounter resistance," replied Revan, not even looking back.

"What, did you see that with your magic powers? I bet I could get more kills than you too."

"You’re welcome to try," Revan replied bluntly, simply shrugging her shoulders. Zaeed could swear the woman was just goading Jack now.

"Hold on," Zaeed just couldn't resist joining in on what was happening. "If we’re playin’ 'who's the better killer' then we all gotta fight on equal terms. That means no powers, just natural skill." He didn't hide his grin as he glanced back at Jack. This would put her at a severe disadvantage.

He had a suspicion that she was only an engine of destruction with her biotics, and he was curious to see how she would fare without them. Honestly, he was wanted to see how Revan would do as well. How much of her fighting ability came from her powers? She was a melee fighter primarily. She still had the whip, but it wasn’t nearly as versatile as her usual arsenal.

"Fine, just don't have a heart attack old man."

"Very well," Revan nodded. "Let's see who the best killer is."

* * *

 

"Halt!" Her shout immediately stopped the exercise as all the combatants froze in place. Several still had swords raised to strike. As Anya strode through the hologram it dissipated. "All attacks need to be simultaneous." She spun and pointed to the black clad figure crouched on a raised platform whowas holding a black rifle in her hands. "Laura fires the stun round. Your attacks-" she pointed to the group of four Phantoms "-need to happen the second she fires. All of your blows must happen together. We need to overwhelm her. There is no guarantee the stun round will penetrate her armor or shields."

"Kira and Jen will strike from the front. Sarah and Kat will strike from behind. We need to take her down as quickly as possible, so the first seconds will be key. Again!" Anya moved back against the wall and the simulation began again.

The hologram of their target appeared, clad in the bulky black and red armor. She was standing in the midst of a room simulated to look like a cargo bay. Anya watched as her team took up position. Sarah was smooth in her movement. Her steps were light and almost impossible to detect, and she was by far the team’s stealthiest member. She was also the most experienced, and Anya valued her opinion highly. She was always comforted by the fact that if anything happened to her then the team would be left in good hands.

Kat moved in perfect unison with her partner. Her sword was held ready in her right hand while her left was extended, palm pointing towards their target. She was the strongest biotic out of all of them, and her attacks were going to be instrumental in this attack. Especially if their initial surprise failed to subdue the target.

Satisfied with the progress of the rear team her eyes shifted to the front team, finding the newest member first. Jen moved well. Her weapon was held ready at all times and she was checking her corners carefully.

The simulation constantly moved their target around. Sometimes she would be stationary and other times she was moving. Currently she was working on a console near the center of the room. Anya’s monitors told her that Jen was making slightly more noise than the others. She made a mental note to schedule further lessons with Sarah.

Frankly it was Jen's swordsmanship that she was worried the most about. It was good but she was still ranked lowest on the squad. It had been her superior agility and flexibility that got her inducted into the Phantom program. Anya had been spending all her available time trying to get her skills closer to the others, but she just didn't have time.

Her eyes shifted to the second member of the frontal team. She stood a full head above everyone else. She was also heaviest built of the team, having twenty two pounds on Anya. That was twenty-two pounds of solid muscle.

While the rest of the Phantoms were more on the lithe side, Kira was not. Some liked to joke that she was some kind of Krogan half breed. Anya made sure to silence those people quickly. Kira never seemed to care about the joke. In fact she had made it her own thing, even going to far as to paint her mask to look like a Krogan skull. It still bothered Anya though.

As a frown came to her face Anya mentally shook the thoughts free and focused. Nicknames or no, Kira was a melee monster. Her biotics were the weakest of the team which is one of the reasons that led to her carrying a second sword. She was the top rated in swordsmanship in the entire program. Anya was second, but it was a very far second. Her record for holding off Kira was two minutes and seven seconds. She would be their main weapon against the target. If anybody could go toe-to-toe with the target then it was Kira.

Lastly she looked over to the final member of the team. She had manoeuvred onto a nearby crate. Laura had been moving painstakingly slow to maintain the stealthfield, Anya only knew where she was because her helmet gave her the sniper’s location.

Anya's team was the only one who had a Nemesis member directly attached to it. She had found it to be a vital flaw and had insisted on the change. It was one of the few times her father had stepped in and sided with her. His support is what had gotten the change approved and also granted them more autonomy from the rest of the Phantom program. Well not the program but at least it's commander—they were now the same rank.

Her lips curled into a sneer as she thought about Kai Leng. That man was pathetic. She’d wanted to kill him within five minutes of meeting him. Being under his command had been hell. But that was over with now. She no longer had to answer to him.

"Team A in position." Sarah's voice shook Anya from her thoughts and she looked back at the simulation.

Her helmet showed her team was perfectly positioned around the target, although she could not physically see them, which was good.

"Team B in position," said Kira. Her voice was smooth yet dark, like clouds slowly blocking out the light of the moon.

"Angel, in position," Laura reported. She had earned the callsign after the many life saving shots she had made.

"All teams attack on my mark." Anya held her breath for three seconds. No matter how many times they ran the simulation she still was nervous. They needed to get this right. The mission and their lives depended on it. Activating the live feeds from her squad's helmets she gave the order. "Mark."

Laura's rifle rang out. As soon as the round was fired the rest of the team surged into motion. Kira charged forward, her camera showed the target’s shields flare to life as they stopped the projectile.

The program was set to randomize between the stun round striking and being turned aside. Both Sarah and Kat moved in perfect unison. Sarah's sword slashed towards the target’s legs while Kat's blast of biotic power was aimed between the target’s shoulder blades.

Jen was a step behind Kira, although she could not fault the rookie for this. Kira did tend to lose herself in the fight sometimes, and it was not always a bad thing. She often reacted quicker and hit harder. But it made it difficult to plan actions such as this.

Kira's first sword swung towards the target’s left arm, which held a glowing red blade. Her second sword slashed at the target’s midsection. This would hopefully force them to jump back and into the rear team’s attacks. Jen's sword slashed at the target’s other arm, which also held a glowing red blade, and her free hand was also sending a blast of biotic power straight at their chest.

The intel they had reported that those glowing red blades could cut through any matter they came into contact with. At least all those that Operative Lawson had seen. Thus they had to avoid all contact with the weapons and try to disable the target as quickly as possible.

The attacks happened so quickly that she could not keep track of them all, so Anya focused on Kira's helmet. Her first blade missed the target as they twisted their arm down, moving their own blade to block her second one slashing at the midsection.

Kira quickly adjusted, sending her first blade to cut up and under the target’s arm. They had reports that armor was weaker there. She juked her second blade to the side, turning the slash into a thrust, just barely avoiding the glowing red blade and sinking the blade between the belt and the plate covering the stomach. It missed the liver and instead stabbed into the ribs.

Anya was amazed that Kira could adjust her attacks so quickly and still keep such precision. The target grunted in pain and dropped the first blade just as they staggered forward, a blast of biotic energy hitting them in the back at the same time that Sarah's blade slashed the back of their knees. The single blade had managed to block and destroy Jen's sword while they had stopped the biotic attack with their own powers.

That was the one thing this simulation could not truly account for. They did not understand the target's powers. They were like nothing ever recorded, and therefore they did not know how to program them in.

The best they could do was give her very advanced biotic powers and hope it was good enough. However the problem was further compounded by the fact that the reports said the target’s powers gave her the ability to sense her enemies, without having to see them. This meant their planning may all be in vain. She had reported this to The Illusive Man and he had simply said 'They were working on it.' Again the best they could do was turn up the senses up to a superhuman setting and hope it was good enough.

They had spent eight full days just trying to get close enough to the target as a team. Sarah had managed it on the fourth day but the target had detected the others. Finally they had eliminated all smells from weapons, armor, and bodies and then undergone training to walk more silently, in addition to adding special dampeners that almost completely eliminate sound while walking. Anya had tuned her sensors to pick up the noise level her squad was producing without the dampeners, which is what she had picked up from Jen earlier.

The target moved their blade to slash at Jen but Kira drove her knee hard into the masked face, quickly followed by an equally savage punch to the side of the head, which rendered them unconscious.

A few taps on her omni-tool ended the simulation and the cargo bay disappeared to reveal the plain white room it really was. "Everyone fall in!" Her team immediately ran over and formed a perfect line in front of her. "That wasn't bad. Jen watch your noise levels. Kat get in with your sword quicker. Laura work on getting a double tap in. Kira keep your timing with your partner. Commence with your two hours of PT then report to the mess for supper." Everyone saluted in unison before departing the room.

Anya watched them leave before sighing to herself. She blinked her eyes rapidly in an effort to rid them of weariness. She really needed to get back on a regular sleep cycle. She just needed to plan a few more scenarios then they would have enough training material. She knew as they trained more her confidence would grow. Her team was strong and she knew they could accomplish anything, no matter how impossible it seemed.

Suppressing a yawn she turned the simulation back up. She adjusted the target's settings, tuning them to be even more superhuman before she stepped into the simulation herself. She needed to push herself harder than anyone else. She needed to be the best. She needed to live up to expectations. She needed to succeed and get her squad through this alive. She would do whatever it took.

The mess hall was noisy as usual. Only a small section was notably quieter and far more subdued than the rest. Three tables in the far right corner of the room was where the Phantoms resided. Each table sat a full squad, all of whom were engaged in quiet conversations.

Kira had decided that it was the fact of how close knit the squads were that separated them from the rank and file. It was not unusual for Phantom squads to work in tandem with troopers. But they were often deployed on their own. They trained and lived separate. They were simply on a different level. They knew it and so did everyone else.

She glanced to the side as a Phantom sat next to her. She knew by the woman's movements that it was the squad’s newest member. Jen lifted her helmet free, producing a faint hissing noise as the seals released. Her chestnut hair was slick with sweat and her matching eyes immediately fixed onto her food as she began eating.

Kira chuckled as she finished off the remainder of her own food. "What?" asked Jen, her eyes momentarily becoming worried, as if she had broken some kind of rule.

"Nothing," Kira replied with a smile, trying her best to reassure her. "Hunger jus means ya worked yerself hard. ’s good."

Relief flooded into the woman's eyes and she quickly began eating again. Kira chuckled again as she scraped her plate clean. She remembered being just as nervous when she was inducted into the Phantom program.

It was incredibly selective and there were still casualties that resulted from the intense training. She still found the idea of an all female unit a bit funny. It was probably just because they could do the job better, but she was sure part of the reason came down to Leng just being a fucking pervert. God she really hated that man. In fact the only one who hated him more was Anya.

The thought of her commander drove all previous thoughts from her mind as she scanned the room once more. Everyone from the squad was present except for her. As usual.

Collecting her dishes she pushed herself up. "I'll see you all later," she said, sticking her helmet back on. They all nodded, instantly understanding, well everyone except for Jen who was still devouring her food.

Kira headed back to the almost empty line and grabbed a fresh tray and began dishing up. As she did she could hear the mutterings of nearby soldiers and other station crew as they saw her.

"Guess Krogans need to eat more than the rest of us." There was more but all of it somehow related back to her 'nickname'. She really didn't mind it. It wasn't exactly new. She was bigger than all the other Phantoms, but she could also kick the shit out of everyone on this station. So in her books it wasn't something to mope about.

After all it was just dumbass men who wanted all women to look like models. She blamed Lawson. She was one of the first women who proved she could kick ass and get the job done. Now everyone expected all the females to look like her, like a damn cheerleader.

Kira stuck a cover over the tray to keep the food warm and headed out of the mess. Her footsteps were louder than a Phantom's should have been. That was probably her biggest failing. She could move silently when she really tried, but for the most part she was pretty heavy footed. But right now she was off duty and not really in the mood to try and walk quietly. She had somewhere to be.

Those she passed didn't talk to her. The most she got was a nod, but most simply looked down or straight ahead as she passed. Phantoms were generally intimidating, and this wasn't helped by her habit of walking around with at least one hand resting on her sword pommel. Again she didn't care though. She had never carried what anyone thought of her, well almost anyone.

Within a few more minutes she found herself standing in front of a door. She knocked lightly on it, then waited for thirty seconds in silence before keying in the code and walking inside. What she found was an unusual but not unexpected sight.

Anya was seated at her desk, her head resting on one outstretched arm, the other holding, or rather had been holding a report. The very fact that she did not wake up at Kira's entrance told her just how tired the woman was. She was certain that Anya had not gotten more than four hours sleep in the past week.

Silently she moved behind her and gently placed the tray of food down on the other end of the table. Her eyes then glanced over the cluttered desk. There were dozens of reports and videos that had been paused halfway through. The majority of them were footage of their target. One in particular caught her eye. It was paused just with the target in full view, seemingly unarmed and running. She picked up the datapad and made sure it was muted before playing the video.

The target suddenly ignited her two glowing red blades, 'lightsabers' they were called. Kira watched as she charged two hulking Geth Primes alone. They opened fire on her in unison but the hail of bullets hit nothing as the target suddenly shot forward at an inhuman speed, charging right in front of the Primes.

The first blade cleaved the left foe in half at the waist, with the second sweeping down to remove its head. The second prime threw a large fist at the target but she weaved out of the way, cutting off its hand before removing the head.

The video ended and Kira was stunned. Those weapons were incredible. A single hit could cut through a Prime. They needed to step up their training. A lot. A single hit would cut through their armor and barriers. It would be instant death.

A sudden twitch from Anya drew her attention. The woman shot up, her whole body tensing, but then her wide eyes instantly found Kira and her body relaxed. "How long was I out?"

"No idea," she answered pulling her helmet free. "Not long enough though." She let the concern show in her voice.

"I'm fine." Anya turned back to her desk and began sorting through the piles of data.

"Yeah and Tim’s really my father. Yer pushin yerself too hard. Ya need sleep." She reached over to the tray of food and slid it in front of the exhausted woman, not caring about the datapads she knocked aside. "And food."

"Thanks," Anya muttered, reaching for another datapad. "I'll eat later."

Kira sighed loudly. She quickly smacked Anya's hand aside before it could grab something new to worry over. Her foot gave the chair a shove, sending the commander skidding back with a scowl on her face. Kira ignored it and moved directly in front of the desk, blocking the now annoyed woman from returning to her work.

"Knock it off, I need to work." Her voice now matched the scowl, but the weariness was still clear as day.

"No. Ya need food ’n sleep. And I’mma make sure yer getting it." She met the other woman's gaze perfectly, setting her posture and voice to make it perfectly clear she would not budge on this. Without looking away she grabbed the tray of food and held it out.

They stared each other down for close to a minute before Anya sighed and took the tray. "Can I at least use the table to eat?" Her voice still carried the air of annoyance.

"Nah. Can’t say I trust ya." Kira smirked a little bit, trying to put a little bit of humor into the room. She didn't want to piss Anya off. That's the last thing she wanted. But sometimes the woman was far too stubborn and she had to be a bit forceful.

Sighing again Anya removed the lid and began to eat. Kira finally relaxed her posture. She smiled faintly as it quickly became apparent how hungry Anya really was. She looked around the room as she waited. As usual it was in perfect order, with not a single item out of place. Anya had always been fanatical about things being neat. It was usually just her own things but she had caught the woman straightening out her room on a few occasions.

Kira would admit that she wasn't the most tidy person. She only ever cleaned her room up when Anya gave her a heads up that an inspection was coming. Perhaps the difference just came down to how they were raised.

Anya was from a very well respected military family, and that meant growing up with very strict rules. Kira on the other hand had none of that. Hell she wasn't even used to having stuff to keep tidy. She learned at a very young age not to become attached to objects. They were easily stolen, broken, or lost. Maybe that was why she was so messy, because she didn't care about stuff. She thought it was actually a valuable lesson.

Of course it wasn't just objects she had learned not to put too much stock into. People weren't exactly the best either. The cruelty they were capable of was appalling. If they weren't doing horrible things then they were letting you down. She put about as much stock in people as she did the clutter in her room. Well for the most part.

She had one friend growing up, one person she could rely on no matter what. But that had been a long time ago, and her friend was gone now. The universe had seen fit to tear them apart, to snuff out one of its brightest and most beautiful lights. Within a matter of moments it had seemed like her whole world had shattered. It had taken her years to pick up the pieces and try to make something new, to start over. She had begun to think she would never fully heal, that pieces would always be missing.

Anya was scraping away at the last of her food and Kira felt herself smile. She had been wrong. She had found someone that helped to fill in those holes, to heal the cracks. No one would ever replace the friend that she lost. But in Anya she had found someone just as special and so much more. She found something she had never thought she could have, something she thought lost to her.

"What?" asked Anya, a confused look crossing her face. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Some reason I can’t?" she replied, still smiling.

"No, I just don't know why you are. I am eating like you asked."

"Why wouldn't I wanna stare at someone so amazin?" Color began filling Anya's cheeks and she quickly looked down at her empty plate. Kira just couldn't resist. "So talented, smart." She stepped forward and grabbed the empty tray and set it on the desk before looking back at the blushing woman.  “So incredibly beautiful."

"Stop it." Anya looked back up at her, cheeks still red.

"Stop what?" She moved in closer, only inches from the blushing woman's face. "Stop telling ya jus how incredible ya are? Stop tellin ya how I see you? How that every time I think of ya I realize I’m the luckiest gal alive?" She could feel Anya's heavy breath on her face. "Sorry, but I’m not gonna do that." Knowing that Anya wouldn't, Kira closed the distance between them and softly planted her lips on Anya's.

Almost instantly Anya threw herself fully into the kiss, her hands grabbed at Kira, pulling her down so she was straddling her in the chair. She had to repress her chuckle at Anya's fierce passion. The woman would never initiate the first kiss, hold hands or initiate any kind of display of affection. But she was very quick to throw herself in into it once Kira had started it. Her shyness only went so far.

Kira tried to remind herself that this isn't what she came here for. That she needed to take care of Anya, and right now unfortunately that meant making her sleep. However as Anya's tongue found its way into her mouth and her hands began kneading into her hair, her resistance began to weaken, quite a lot.

Anya's mouth pulled away for half a second, only to return but this time to kiss Kira's exposed neck. It made her whole body tingle in pleasure, like a current running through her. Anya's hands began moving lower, tracing slowly down her back. Everywhere her fingers touched sent little pulses of pleasure through her body. A soft moan escaped her just before she pulled back, practically throwing herself back into the desk, mere seconds before all her resistance was obliterated.

"Dammit I came ‘ere ta make ya sleep not keep ya up," she breathed, trying to still her pounding heart and calm her desires. She never would have suspected just how damn irresistible Anya could be. She may have been more experienced initially but Anya more than made up for that with pure, natural talent.

"I don't need sleep now. I need you."

The hunger in her eyes and voice almost made Kira's knees buckle and send her right back on top of the woman. Instead she managed to force out a very weak laugh. "Nah babe, ya need sleep." She saw Anya was about to protest but quickly cut her off. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out. "Think of it like a reward. Get some sleep and I'll make sure ya put yer energy ta good use.”

"Okay," Anya said, slightly defeated as the hunger in her eyes began to die.

"Don' look so sad. When have I ever disappointed? Promise you’ll be beggin’ me fer sleep." She smirked as Anya's face began flooding with red again. It was just so damn cute how easy it was to do that.

Satisfied that she had won, Kira gestured to the bed, like a mother would to a stubborn child. She laughed as Anya sullenly climbed into the bed. As she did Kira began stripping off her own armor, relief washing over her as the cool air of the room touched her skin.

"What are you doing?" asked the other woman as she finished fussing with the covers.

"I'm not sayin I don' trust ya," she said, discarding the last of her armor and walking over to the bed. "But I don' trust ya not ta work." She climbed into the small bed next to Anya, who rolled onto her side so she could tuck into the bigger woman. They had quickly learned that this was the only real way the two of them could comfortably sleep in the bed.

She wrapped her arms around Anya, pulling her as close as possible and breathed in her scent. She smelled like fresh flowers. It was her favorite smell.

"We can't stay like this for long," Anya muttered. The weariness in her voice was back again and Kira knew her eyes would already be closed as her breathing settled into a steady rhythm.

"I know babe," she replied, kissing her neck lightly. "Jus’ sleep." She didn't get a response and within five minutes she knew for certain that Anya was asleep.

Their relationship was still something of a secret. Sarah had picked up on it but had said nothing and they were both confident that she never would. The others in the squad likely had a suspicion but again, they could be trusted. From all others though, it was a secret. It was just easier this way. Of course it meant they could never really behave like a normal couple and had to sneak around all the time. But hell, they were good at that. The only bright side was that it made moments like this all the sweeter. Smiling she closed her eyes and fell asleep to the sound of gentle breathing and the smell of flowers.

* * *

 

"You’re fucking crazy!" Jack shouted over the sound of gunfire striking their car.

"I know," Revan replied. She was doing her best to avoid the incoming fire, and it wasn't easy. These damn things liked to jerk hard whenever the wheel was so much as nudged. So avoiding fire but still staying on course was proving more difficult than she had imagined.

She had made the decision to bypass the first tower completely and instead bring them in on the bridge connecting the towers. They needed to get to the target before the assassin did, and there was no time to waste cutting through the mercs likely filling the bypassed tower. Of course this bridge wasn't exactly lightly defended either. However it brought them very close to the assassin’s target, thereby ensuring he wouldn't slip away.

The front screen of the car shattered, spraying them with glass. Neither Revan nor HK flinched as the glass bounced harmlessly over their fully armored forms. Zaeed and Jack had to cover their eyes but otherwise they were also protected.

"Start returning fire," Revan ordered, jerking the car to the side to avoid an oncoming missile. "HK take out that heavy!"

"Affirmative. Terminating meatbag." HK rose from the passenger seat and took aim with his sniper rifle. By the time Jack and Zaeed had their weapons in hands HK had already terminated his target and was selecting a new one.

Zaeed was firing his rifle on full auto. Revan had given him her rifle for the mission, much to the mercenary’s glee. Jack was firing with her heavy pistol as it had greater range than her shotgun.

Revan could tell that she was already getting frustrated about not being able to use her powers for this mission. Revan on the other had was actually looking forward to it. It would prove to be an interesting challenge. She always tried to keep her abilities honed to peak condition, and that meant knowing how to fight without the Force.

To that end she had actually installed a force suppression chip in her helmet that would block all her abilities. She did not like it, in fact she hated the feeling. The Force provided her with a constant…hearing of the galaxy, like listening to the waves hitting the shore. It was perpetual, never ending, and gave her a strange sense of peace. Having that suddenly silenced felt unnatural. It felt wrong. But she knew that it was important to understand what it was like to not have that connection, to know how to live and fight without it.

She had not activated the chip during this mission. She rarely did it at all. The only time she really used it anymore was during her training sessions with the commander. She felt it was more fair to her, and it also helped to further hone Revan’s abilities. So everybody won.

"Hold on!" Revan shouted as she brought the car down violently onto the bridge, slamming into two of the mercs as they skidded to a stop.

HK was instantly up and firing at the hostiles, and Revan knew that every loud report from the rifle was another kill. She kicked open her damaged door, pulling free her whip as she rose. She had landed them at the end of the bridge. Five hostiles fired on them from barricaded positions near the elevator while eight advanced on them from the far side. Another loud rifle shot took that number down to seven.

Revan sprinted towards the barricaded troops. If she could use her powers she could cross the distance in a blink. As such, she had to do things the fun way. She grinned as her legs carried her forward with all their strength. She revelled in the burn of using all her strength.

She loved the challenge of constantly twisting and moving to the side to avoid as much fire as possible. It was inevitable that she would take some hits, but even that just made her feel more alive. The sound of metal slugs pinging off her armour, whizzing just by her head—it was invigorating.

She took cover behind a pillar to get a read on the rest of the squad, seeing them engaged with the enemy coming from the far side, whose numbers had nearly doubled since she last looked. Zaeed threw a glance back at her.

"Focus on the reinforcements. I’ll take of these buggers!" Revan ordered.

"That's five!" shouted Jack just as she blasted an advancing merc with her shotgun.

Revan returned her attention back to her group of foes. They were still firing on her but from the sounds of it, two of them were advancing, splitting off to try and flank her. She stole a quick glance to confirm, two shots bouncing off her shield as she did. One was moving left, towards higher ground while the other, an Asari, was moving right, down low to get in close.

Revan spun from cover, pulling her pistol free and firing two precise shots in the enemy’s head, the first depleting their shields, the second killing them in a spray of blood, bone, and brain.

The suppressing mercs opened up on her but Revan did not give them a stationary target. She bolted towards the merc on the right. They began firing shotgun blasts in response, altering their course to meet her head-on. Revan rolled to the side, avoiding a burst of fire. She sprang back to her feet and continued forward just in time to see the shotgun wielding foe begin emitting a blue light before they shot forward at blinding speeds.

Revan staggered back as the enemy slammed into her, pistol tearing from her hands and skidding a few feet away. The Asari filled her vision as she tried to bash the butt of her rifle into Revan’s face.

She easily ducked under the blow. Ejecting her knife to fall into her hand she rose inside the attack, slamming the blade up through the alien’s neck and into her skull. Her eyes went wide as the life very quickly flowed from her in a gush of blue blood. Revan grabbed her lifeless body, holding it in front of her to take the incoming burst of fire. When the merc stopped to reload she threw the body aside and sprinted forward at full speed.

She crossed the distance in two point five seconds, and her legs burned from the effort. In a single move she activated her whip and just as the merc rose, stumbling back in surprise with Revan’s sudden proximity, she lashed out, the whip wrapping around their neck. A sharp tug pulled their head free.

She turned the whip off, turning to see how the rest of the squad fared. They were still engaged from the sounds of it.

Revan ran towards their position, scooping up her pistol as she moved. She counted five remaining hostiles. Altering her angle of approach slightly, she ran towards a small stack of crates. She easily ran up and vaulted herself forward, activating her whip mid air as she landed with a heavy thud behind two of the mercs.

Her whip snapped against the chest of a merc, cutting through shields, armour, and flesh. Revan spun, wrapping the whip around the leg of the second merc. He screamed as the weapon burned through his calf. Revan gave a tug, pulling him from his feet. A quick flourish and the whip shot out, striking both mercs in the necks, killing them immediately.

 HK quickly moved from cover and fired a round into the skull of one of the mercs. The final two took cover behind a large crate. Revan ran forward as quickly as her legs would carry her. She shot around the crate, her whip already flying out and taking down both mercs in a quick flurry of strikes.

She looked back to the squad, signalling HK and Zaeed to secure the elevator, while Jack simply waited.

"Well, what was your count?"

"Not over yet Jack," Revan replied, grinning faintly. Even though she couldn't see it, the smaller woman returned it. They joined the others and Zaeed pressed the button to open the doors and they all loaded inside. Silence overtook the group as they began moving up.

“Okay, I’ll say it. Anyone else think that whip makes shit unfair?” Zaeed grumbled slightly. “Bloody thing can cut through goddamn everythin’.”

"Yeah, I'll agree with Gramps on that one," added Jack.

Revan’s answer was to return the whip to her back and eject her knife. She looked back at the others, seeing them grinning.

"Ya know," she said, as the elevator slowed. "Hand ta hand should be the only kills that count. Guns are fer the weak." She glanced back, almost laughing at the expressions that crossed her companion's faces. They didn't have time to reply as the doors open and she bolted forward.

She sensed four beings in this room. All were armed but only three wore the garb of the mercenaries. The fourth was dressed in what she presumed was an expensive dress. The Asari carried only a pistol but didn't look too eager to use it.

Revan ran for the lead merc, dodging to the left to avoid the first and only shot they got off. She hurled her knife forward, watching it sink deep into the merc’s neck. They dropped their gun, grasping feebly at the red blood that gushed from their throat.

Revan took two shots before reaching the dying man, she pulled the knife free and rolled over the desk, coming face to face with an Asari mercenary. She had no time to react as Revan slammed the blade into her neck, severing the spinal cord and killing her instantly. The third merc realized she couldn't match the warrior in melee and took a step back, bringing her rifle up.

Revan pulled the knife free and spun low, throwing her shot off and bringing Revan back into range. She thrust the knife up into the alien’s stomach, lifting her into the air as she rose, adjusting the angle Revan then slammed her back into the ground, quickly pulling the blade free she stabbed her in the throat to kill her instantly.

Revan rose, looking at the remaining Asari. She’d purposefully made the final kill a bit showy, to further discourage the woman from any hostile acts.

"So you are the one they sent to kill me?" The Asari asked, venom creeping into her voice despite her obvious fear.

"No, just wanted to make sure we didn't miss him." Revan returned her knife to its holding place and walked away from the Asari, not even bothering to disarm her. She wouldn’t use the weapon.

"I can pay you a lot of money if you stop him."

“Don't need it,” Revan replied with a shrug. “And no, ya aren't leavin this room. Try and I'll kill you. So take yer chances with me or the assassin." Revan stared at her for a full minute, watching and sensing her come to the final decision. With a sigh she sat down in the chair behind the desk, hand gripping the pistol tightly.

"So what, now we just wait for this guy to show up?" asked Jack. She looked upset she hadn't gotten a chance to kill anyone in the room. She was also probably behind in the score now.

"That's the plan," Revan replied, walking towards the large windows across the room. It was a bloody nice view. The sun was just setting and it was bathing the whole city in a brilliant orange glow.

"So what's everyone's final count then?" asked Jack

"I got seven," said Zaeed, moving to stand beside Revan. He handed her back the rifle.

"Keep it," she replied, waving him off.

"Tin man?"

"Sincere apology: Oh master, I am so sorry but this unit only terminated eleven meatbags."

Revan smiled and looked back to the droid. "Don't worry HK, there’ll be plenty more meatbags ta kill in our future. Jack?”

"Seven," she grumbled, clearly upset. "What about you, oh big bad war hero?"

"Nine," she replied, smiling behind her helmet. She expected to hear Jack gloat but surprisingly she said nothing, likely realizing Revan had only counted her melee kills. Killing people with guns was too easy. Anybody could do it really. Yes one could become very skilled with a gun, get to be better than most, but to her it was still a cowardly way to kill someone.

Revan relished the thrill of fighting in close quarters. The rush of adrenaline from using your whole body to best your opponent, using all your muscles, all your skill. Then there was the thrill of landing that killing blow. That moment when you could actually feel the life leaving them, you could see it in their eyes. The number of emotions that could play out in the loser’s eyes was hauntingly beautiful.

She had struggled with this…enjoyment for a long time. It is what had nearly caused her fall. Somewhere during the wars she had stopped taking pleasure in the exercise of skill and ability and simply begun to enjoy the killing, the taking of lives and knowing that she was the one who took them.

Her hatred towards the Mandalorians during the wars had reached a peak when they had finally found Cassus. She had already been slipping until then, but that had nearly sent her over the edge. No it had. She had embraced all the hatred she felt. She had revelled in the darkness and used it to wreak her terrible vengeance. If it hadn't have been for Meetra, she was certain that she never would have been able to turn her back on that darkness, to see it for the weakness that it truly was.

Revan still enjoyed fighting, revelled in the challenge, but she took no pleasure in the act of killing. However, she did not particularly despise it either. It was merely something that had to be done. There were those that she felt did not deserve to live, that deserved death in whatever manner it could find them. Those people she would always take some satisfaction in killing, however it was not because of the kill itself. It was the knowledge that came with the kill, the knowledge that they would never cause any harm to anyone again.

She realized that it may be hypocritical of her to have this view, as she could easily be classified as someone who deserved to die. She remembered one Jedi arguing against her, trying to dissuade her from killing anyone.

The Jedi’s argument had been childish and naïve. He’d told Revan that by killing another killer, the number of killers in the galaxy remained the same. Revan didn’t bother properly arguing. She’d simply laughed and said if she killed a hundred then there would be ninety-nine less killers. That particular statement had landed her in hot water with the council and caused them to watch her closely for signs of falling.

She had killed countless beings, fought against those who once called her hero. In the eyes of many she was a traitor. In a way she supposed they were right. True most did not know her true motivations. They did not know that she did it all in the name of the greater good, that everything she had ever done was to protect the Republic. She had always been their protector, even if they didn't know it.

No matter her motives though, she had still betrayed them. She had still killed those who once stood beside her. So yes, she supposed that she also deserved death. One day it would find her. She would face that moment with her head held high and relish in the final fight. She would die blade in hand as a true Mandalorian.

No matter the moments of weakness she had, the moments of doubt, she knew that she had done the right thing. She had done the only thing she could. Her actions, no matter how they turned out in the end, would serve to strengthen the Republic. She had sacrificed, she had betrayed, she had done everything that was necessary whether it was viewed as good or evil, light or dark. It didn't matter.

It was her duty to fight, her duty to save the many. She could only hope, and fight with all her might, to ensure that she lived long enough to see this through to the end. Perhaps when it was all done she would find a way back to her home galaxy, perhaps not. But she would not die without ensuring this galaxy was safe from destruction. She would not fail.

Revan glanced back to the room. She could sense the assassin, moving in the ducts above them. A perfectly calm presence moving towards its target. No one else seemed to have taken notice. With a quick command from her HUD she had HK stand down and not engage the assassin. The droid would be the first to detect him. Revan wanted to see how long it would take the others though. They would be a good judge of the assassin’s skill.

As the assassin dropped silently from the vent, Jack was fiddling with her weapon while Zaeed was still staring outside the window, occasionally glancing at his watch. The assassin must have noticed Revan looking at him but he paid no mind as he silently moved behind the target and fired a single round into her heart. Both Jack and Zaeed spun, weapons raised, but the assassin ignored them all.

He caught the target’s body as it slumped from the chair and slowly lowered her to the floor, crossing her arms over her chest. He rose and clasped his hands together, eyes closed. Revan ignored the confused looks exchanged by her human companions and instead focused on the assassin.

He seemed to be some kind of reptile race. His green skin looked scaled and it even looked like he had some kind of gills on his neck. But it was his aura that gave the most detail. The assassin was at total peace, on the outside at least. But even as she looked deeper Revan could see very little inner turmoil within the alien.

"I apologize, but prayers for the wicked must not go unsaid," said the assassin. His voice was low and calm, a perfect fit for the rest of him.

"Do you pray for all your targets?" Revan was really hoping that the alien's inner calm did not come from some die hard belief in a religion. She had nothing against religion personally. She just hated it when it was taken too far and people used it as an excuse to kill.

"Not for her, for me. The actions one takes can make it difficult to judge their true character. You for instance, all this death and destruction, just to find me? Well here I am. Now what are your motives?"

"I’m actually here on behalf of another, Commander Shepard."

"Ah yes, the first human Spectre. I have heard many things about her, including her death."

"She is very much alive. We’re on a mission to combat a race known as the Collectors. They have begun abducting entire human colonies."

"I have heard of these attacks. I take it you wish my skills to help you stop them?"

"That's correct."

"Very well."

Revan actually blinked in surprise. "That was easy. This is likely to be a very dangerous mission. We can only afford to take those who are completely committed and willing to die if need be." Revan could feel that this alien was already such a person. The level of calm and control he exuded was incredible, and he would not accept something like this lightly. But she wanted to hear why.

"Low survival odds do not concern me. The abduction of so many humans does. I am trying to spend my last years doing some good in this galaxy, to make up for the evil I have done."

"Last years—are you dying?" Revan reached out in the force to examine the alien more closely. It was hard, not knowing his physiology, but she could detect an…abnormality.

"I am suffering from a terminal illness called Keprals Syndrome. In a few years it will take my life. But until then I shall continue on my path. I shall work for you and Commander Shepard."

Revan made a note to examine the alien further when she got the chance, but for now they needed to get back to the ship. This wasn't exactly her call whether to take the assassin on or not. Although she knew the commander would accept, she still had to respect the chain of command.

"If you will come with us back to our ship I will introduce you to the commander. She will have the final say." The assassin nodded in response and Revan led the way back to the elevator.

"You never did tell me your name," said the assassin as the doors closed.

"My name is Revan."

"Thane Krios. A pleasure to meet you." He offered his hand and Revan shook it. "I am surprised you didn't ask if my illness will affect my performance on the mission."

"I can sense the illness inside of you and although I’m not familiar with your species’ biology I can sense that it has not yet reached a harmful state. It has merely just begun." There was no point in lying to the alien about her powers. They would be working together so Thane would find out eventually anyway. Besides she may be able to use the force to heal his condition.

"You can sense my illness?"

"It's a long story but here is the brief version. I’m not from this galaxy and I have powers far different from your biotics."

"Just think of her as a wizard. She even has a robe," Jack said with a snicker.

"I do not understand everything you have said but I have no reason to believe you are lying. Although I do hope you will explain in greater detail when time permits."

"Of course."

"God, now there are two super cordial people." She could feel Jack rolling her eyes with the statement.

"Pretty fancy word for you Jack," Revan replied grinning.

"Fuck you!"

* * *

 

"So, what do you think?" asked Revan as the assassin, Thane, left the briefing room.

"He's not what I was expecting, but my gut says we can trust him. He actually kind of reminds me of you."

"In what way?" She walked with the commander as they left the room and headed towards, she presumed the elevator. It looked like they had only gotten back a short time before Revan’s team, Shepard was still wearing her armor.

"Well you’re both way too polite for starters," she replied with a grin.

"Jack said the same thing."

"Of course she did. I trust she wasn't too much of a handful?"

"No, she performed well. Although she didn’t use any biotics so she had ta be more cautious. Next time we’ll have ta watch her more carefully."

"Yeah, I'll need you to reign her in if she gets out of hand. She would kick my ass with her biotics." Shepard pushed the button to her quarters. "Come on, let's finish this chat in my quarters. I need to get this armor off."

Revan simply nodded, not even questioning the request. Her and Shepard had been spending much more time together recently, and sometimes they were in Shepard’s cabin, often listening to music and discussing idle topics.

"So why wasn't Jack using her biotics?"

"We had a…contest ta see who could get the most kills. Zaeed made us not use our powers, ta make things more fair.”

"You guys played the killing game without me?" Shepard shouted in mock hurt, even going so far to pout a little. It was rather cute.

Revan chuckled softly, amused at Shepard’s reaction. "I’m sure we’ll have many opportunities ta play again."

"Next mission, it's on!" she declared loudly as the elevator doors open and she walked into her cabin.

Revan stepped in after her, immediately making her way towards the sectional, taking her usual seat against the wall. She popped the seals on her helmet, setting it on the coffee table. She also once more tidied up the datapads strewn across the surface. Shepard wasn’t exactly messy, but Revan preferred things a little more organized.

Shepard was quick to begin discarding her armour, the pieces falling away quickly with practiced movements. “So who won?” asked Shepard as she propped a foot on the coffee table to remove her lower armour.

"HK, eleven kills," Revan answered, her gaze travelling over Shepard’s form before she could stop herself. The skin tight body suit was doing a wonderful job of showing off Shepard’s toned body. Her flat stomach, the curve of her breasts, larger than Revan’s, but still not massive. But oh so perky.

"You must be getting rusty in your old age," Shepard replied with a laugh, throwing a grin over her shoulder as she set the armour plates aside.

Revan was lucky in that her gaze had already wandered back up to Shepard’s messy, but still gorgeous flame red hair.  "Or HK is just that good,” she shot back quickly, grinning at the other woman to try and distract herself from the quickening pace of her heart.

Shepard barked a laugh as she rose and walked towards her dresser. “Well played.”

Revan resolutely refused to watch the redhead as she walked away. She knew the sight that awaited her and she didn’t want to risk being caught again, luckily she had her helmet on at the time. Suffice it to say, Shepard had what was probably the most perfect ass in this galaxy or any other.

She heard Shepard pulling clothes from her dresser. Revan busied herself with organizing Shepard’s armour into a neater pile. "So you didn't run into any problems on the mission?" she asked as she walked into the bathroom.

Revan still refused to look up as she answered, clearing her throat before speaking. "No, it wasn’t difficult. I would like ta examine Thane's condition more closely though. There may be somethin’ I can do ta help him."

"Alright, I'll talk to him. Mordin and Chakwas may have some ideas too."

"I'll be sure ta consult with them. Hopefully we can do something before it starts to affect him."

"Magician, kick ass fighter, scientist, and healer. What the hell can't you do?" Shepard asked, laughing again as she came out of the bathroom, wearing a loose fitting dark blue tank top and a pair of sweat pants.

“I’m sure you’ll figure out my many shortcomings eventually.” Revan was surprised as the words came out of her mouth. She almost never did that, spoke without thinking. But with Shepard…she was just…comfortable, relaxed. It was easy to be honest.

Shepard jumped into the corner of the sofa, her legs stretching out, nudging Revan in the side, a surprisingly gentle smile on her face. “I’ll still like ya.”

Revan stared at Shepard. Those words seeped into her, deep inside, curling around her heart, tugging at it. The words were spoken so sincerely. Those emerald eyes shined so brightly, looking right into Revan. She couldn’t look away.

Revan cleared her throat nervously. She wasn’t sure what to do, what to say. “How did yer mission go?” She tried the first thing that came to mind.

"Good and bad,” Shepard answered, shrugging her shoulders. She didn’t seem upset by the sudden topic change. She merely stretched her legs out again, her bare feet resting in Revan’s lap.

“I'm sure Miranda will give you the details in one of your nerd sessions. But she finally got to meet her sister so it all turned out well in the end."

"Good…that’s good." Revan couldn't help but smile at the news. Her plans aside she did genuinely like Miranda and was glad that she was finally able to meet her family, the family that she deserved.

"Yeah, she looks like she’s genuinely happy for the first time since I’ve met her." The commander smiled as she spoke. She did get a great deal of joy from ensuring that her crew was happy and well cared for.

"That’s good. She deserved ta know her family. Nothin’ is more important."

"Yeah," Shepard was still smiling but it had changed. It had become one of her false smiles and Revan instantly knew the reason why and felt like a jackass for it.

"Family’s not limited ta blood,” Revan said, looking directly into those bright emeralds. She rested her hand gently on Shepard’s shin. She told herself it was to reassure Shepard. She didn’t acknowledge how even though it was impossible, she could feel the heat of Shepard’s skin through her gloves.

“Mandalorians understand this better than anyone. Bloodlines don’t matter. Those who stand beside you, who shed blood for you. That’s family. Those who love you, who would sacrifice anything for your happiness, that’s family. In the end blood means nothin’. Family is earned. I hope that after all these years, after all you’ve been through that ya still don't think yer without family?"

Shepard was staring at her very intently now, shining emeralds locked with steel grey. In that emerald gaze Revan could see the pain that was hidden in their depths. She was momentarily shocked. Usually Shepard was so guarded. She kept her past scars buried deep. Revan had sensed them on a few occasions, and she had her suspicions, but this was the first time she had actually seen it.

Shepard’s previous problem had stemmed from her death, an understandable trauma. This however was deeper, something she had kept hidden for a long time. It was about her past, her childhood. That much Revan knew for certain. Shepard never had parents, what would be classically defined as a family.

Revan hadn't quite realized how much it had scarred her. She had never tried too hard to sense those emotions, out of respect, but how could she have missed this?

"Shepard," Revan’s voice was low, containing more emotion than it usually did. She hated seeing Shepard like this. Seeing this strong, amazing woman so hurt by something she couldn’t have controlled.

"You have a family.” Her voice was earnest, and she squeezed the leg beneath her palm ever so gently. “It’s clear ta everyone on this ship that you, Garrus, Joker, Tali. Yer a family. I’m sure the rest of yer old crew could be family too. Yer turning this crew into another family. You’ve got people who would fight and die for you. Who would give all they have for yer happiness. That is family, Shepard. You have it. Never forget that."

Their eyes locked, nether looking away. The only sound was that of their breathing. Revan could see the storm of emotions in those gorgeous green pools. She watched as the pain slowly receded. In its place was a warm glorious glow that lit them up.

"You asshole," Shepard said, her voice slightly shaky. "Why you gotta say such nice shit? You’re gonna make a girl cry.”

“As long as they’re happy tears,” Revan replied, not even trying to stop the smile on her lips.

“They are.” Shepard swung her legs back, suddenly crawling across the seat, throwing her arms around Revan’s shoulders and burying her face in the crook of the warrior’s neck.

Revan was shocked by the action. While physical contact outside of sparring was not uncommon between them now, they had never hugged, especially not one so filled with emotion. Revan’s reaction was automatic, her arms moving up to wrap around the redhead’s shoulders, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

Neither spoke a word. Revan’s senses kicked into overdrive as she took in everything. She could hear Shepard’s faint sniffles, feel the dampness that barely touched the skin on her neck. She could feel the heat from Shepard’s body, feel her breath as it tickled her suddenly hypersensitive skin. Even through her armour, she could feel Shepard’s body pressed against her. She could smell the citrus aroma of Shepard’s shampoo.

Revan’s mind only focused on how good it all felt. How much she enjoyed having her arms around this woman. How she never wanted this moment to end.

She had no idea how much time passed, but eventually the sniffles died away and there was only the sound of their gentle breathing. Revan’s heart hammered in her chest. She was grateful her armour prevented Shepard from feeling it. She was also glad she couldn’t feel Shepard’s. She didn’t know how that would affect her.

Eventually, Shepard pulled back slightly. Revan wasn’t sure when it had happened, but the redhead’s body had shifted at some point. She was now sitting, straddling Revan’s lap, a knee on either side of Revan’s thighs.

Revan felt her pulse race even faster as her breath hitched in her throat. She wasn’t sure if she hated the thick barrier of her armour between them or was thankful for it. Shepard’s eyes were slightly red, a faint trail running down each cheek. But there was a smile on those soft lips, that bright smile Revan had come to adore.

“Thank you.” Shepard’s voice was barely a whisper, their faces close enough that  Revan could feel her breath.

Revan just smiled in return. She knew it would be impossible for her to form coherent words at the moment. She watched as an errant tear fell from Shepard’s eye. Without a thought, she reached forward, her thumb brushing it aside. But as her thumb made contact, her hand slowly uncurled, enveloping Shepard’s cheek in the palm of her hand.

Once more, silence enveloped them. Revan couldn’t move her hand. She could only stare, stare into bright green eyes. Eyes that she would once describe as a forest green. But this close, she could see the faint ring of a soft, pale blue, along with flecks of red from the cybernetics. Revan’s breath was stuck in her throat, mouth going dry. She had never seen anything more beautiful. She watched as the array of stunning colours darkened., pupils slowly growing. She heard Shepard’s breath hitch.

Revan couldn’t breath. Heat began building between them. She revelled in it, but she also feared it. She feared the implications. She feared what it could lead to. So many possibilities, and only a few could end well.

She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to give in. She wanted to lean forward and capture those lips. She wanted to forget about all her hang ups, all her pain, all her responsibility. She wanted to seize this moment. She wanted to seize the potential before her.

But as the seconds ticked by, she did nothing. Fear and guilt stopped her. She finally forced her hand to move back down to her lap. Revan swallowed thickly. Her mouth and throat felt so dry it burned.

“I should—” Revan’s words came out hoarse, barely audible, her voice shaky at best. She tried clearing her throat, doing her best to steady herself. “I should go and get changed.” It was a weak excuse. She knew it. And she knew Shepard knew as well.

The redhead nodded. There was a slightly confused look on her face, but she still got off Revan’s lap and sat on the sofa. Revan stood up as calmly as she could. Her legs felt weak, like they would give out at any moment.

She picked up her helmet and headed to the door as quick as she could without making it look like she was in a hurry. She didn’t say another word as she left Shepard’s cabin and entered the elevator. Only when the door closed and it began to move, did she rest her head against the wall, her eyes closed as she released a shaky breath.

“ _Shab._ ”

* * *

 

Shepard watched as the door closed, blocking Revan from sight. It was only then she felt able to breath, the temperature of the room dropping back to normal levels.

She shivered as she recalled the moment before, in Revan’s lap, straddling her. When the hell had that happened? So many emotions had been running through her. Revan’s words made her so happy, so comforted. Those strong arms around her made her feel safe. She never wanted to leave them.

Then there was the look in Revan’s eyes. Silver eyes had darkened, almost turning black. She had heard Revan’s breath hitch. Shepard couldn’t ever remember her heart beating faster than in that moment. All she could do was look between Revan’s eyes and those lips, lips she wanted to kiss so badly.

In that moment she’d even thought…had Revan thought of kissing her too? It certainly seemed like it. Shepard had seen those dark eyes flick down to her lips. There had barely been a few inches between them. She had felt Revan’s hot breath on her face. She could smell her. Revan smelled of steel, and something else Shepard couldn’t identify, something exotic, almost spicy. It was intoxicating.

Fuck, she’d been so close. She’d wanted to so bad. And she would bet the ship that Revan had wanted to as well. But instead the warrior had broken off, given that lame ass excuse. Change, really? Revan wore the same shit all the time.

But Shepard had let her go. As much as she had wanted to take that step forward, she had recognized the hesitation in Revan, the fear. Shepard didn’t want to push, so she’d let the warrior go. But maybe she should have pushed. Maybe Revan needed that.

Shepard groaned, slamming her face into the back of the sectional, where Revan had been sitting. It still smelled of her. Shepard breathed in deep. Pathetic? Maybe, but fuck the warrior smelled so good.

Shepard didn’t know what to do. Was this a ridiculous idea? The two of them together? They got along so well, but they were also different. Revan was much more reserved, but she did have a playful side. Shepard had seen the briefest glimpses of it.

Revan made her feel so good. Shepard didn’t doubt her capabilities. She knew she was damn good at what she did. But Revan…Revan made her feel like she could do anything. Like she really could take on the Reapers and win.

If it was just those two things, Shepard would say no, they should just stay friends—it was better that way. But then there was the way Revan physically made her feel. Shepard didn’t think she had ever been so attracted to anyone in her life.

Everything about Revan was sexy as all hell. The most obvious, her body. Sweet god that body. Shepard really didn’t think a more perfect body existed in the universe. The muscles. Those fucking muscles. That bronzed skin that glowed in the light. The tattoos that spoke of the love and attachment she had to her culture, but were also just sexy as hell.

Then there was the voice. Sweet god, spirits, goddess, and whatever the hell else there was. That voice would be the death of her and she didn’t mind in the least. Shepard was certain she could get off to Revan’s voice alone. The strength in it was always there, but it also had a smoky quality to it. It curled in your ear, caressing your senses. What Shepard wouldn’t give to hear that voice filled with lust, panting, whispering right into her ear.

“Fuuuuuuuuck,” Shepard groaned again, pressing her face further into the cushion, which probably didn’t help.

She’d been attracted to Revan before, but they’d never had a particularly intimate moment, not like what they had just experienced. But now that it had happened, Shepard couldn’t ignore it. She couldn’t shove her attraction back down. The beast was loose now, and it demanded attention.

Shepard didn’t even think before shifting her hips up slightly and shoving her hand under her sweatpants and underwear. She groaned at the feeling of the wetness between her legs. Fuck, she’d never been this turned on from just thoughts alone.

Somewhere in her mind, she realized this was probably a bad idea. If she got off thinking of Revan, there would be no going back from that. She wouldn’t be able to take it back, take that feeling back, take those thoughts, those wishes back.

Shepard wasn’t really sure if she ever actually made up her mind one way or another, but her body decided for her as her finger dragged along her dripping folds. She moaned loudly as her mind shut the hell up and let her body take over completely.

She stroked herself again. Her pussy pulsed with need. She was so damn turned on, she couldn’t take this slow. She didn’t have the patience. She needed to come now.

Shepard hissed as she drove two fingers inside. She was astounded at her own wetness. Her eyes closed and she saw only Revan. She replayed the scenario earlier, but this time she didn’t chicken out. She claimed Revan’s lips and they tasted just like she imagined.

She picked up her pace, thrusting into herself harder and faster, angling her hand so her palm slapped against her clit just enough to make her legs jerk. Fire raced through her veins as she thought of stripping Revan from that armour. In her mind, it only took seconds.

Her breathing became heavy as she pumped faster. She imagined it was Revan’s hand between her legs. Those strong, calloused fingers were the ones slamming inside her with reckless abandon. Those grey eyes, almost black with lust gazed at her, that smirk, that fucking smirk bigger than it had ever been.

_“Shepard.”_

She cried out, hearing Revan say her name, but this time her voice was low, husky, and filled with lust. Lust for her. Shepard curled her fingers, hitting all her most sensitive spots, just like Revan would.

She could almost feel Revan’s weight pressed against her back, her lips caressing Shepard’s ear, hot breath setting her skin ablaze.

_“Come for me Shepard.”_

She sucked in a breath, and the scent of Revan still lingering in the air is what made her come completely undone. Shepard moaned louder than she ever had on her own, unable to keep silent as her legs shook with orgasm, and her walls clenched around her fingers so tight it almost hurt. Her body flooded with pleasure. It rushed through every cell, a glorious, burning fire that consumed her body. She never wanted it to stop. Her thumb pressed firmly into her hard, pulsing clit. She was so sensitive that in seconds she was coming again.

Shepard groaned long and low as her body rocked with another orgasm. She collapsed onto the cushions, her breaths coming in ragged pants. Her sweaty forehead stuck to the leather but she didn’t give a shit. She had never come that hard on her own before.

“Fuck,” Shepard groaned, finally pulling her hand from the mess that had now ruined her underwear and probably her sweatpants too.

Shepard rolled over, groaning again, but this time in frustration. She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes tightly, ignoring the smells of her own arousal. Arousal at the thought of Revan fucking her.

What the hell did she do now? Could she really ignore this attraction? Especially now that she had these thoughts running through her head, now that she had allowed herself this kind of connection? Revan now had command of her thoughts and her body. Did she even know? Shepard chuckled at the thought. Probably not. She had a feeling Revan was surprisingly dense about Shepard’s attraction to her.

But what was she supposed to do? Obviously Revan had some hang ups about this. Shepard didn’t know what they were. But what did she do? Confront them? Wait and see how things played out? She sure as hell couldn’t ignore this. While that may be the smartest thing to do, it wasn’t something she wanted to do. She’d been down that road before and all that was at the end was regret. But that still didn’t give her any clear answers.

Even as her mind ran rampant with thoughts, she could feel her eyes drifting closed. It had been a long day. She was exhausted both mentally and physically and now that her body was sated, for now at least, sleep pulled at her.

She would deal with this tomorrow. Their sparring session would be interesting, to say the least. It was an unarmoured one too.

“Shit,” Shepard muttered, allowing her eyes to close. She had no idea how she would handle that. She would just wing it. Always worked out well for her. At least, that’s what she told herself as she drifted to sleep, visions of Revan running through her mind, the warriors scent still filling the air around her.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and constructive criticism is appreciated! Also, check out my tumblr Eagle9177. I post stuff related to all my eventual fanfics there, including artworks. Always feel free to ask me questions or just chat about cool stuff!  
> 


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